I Like Me Better (When I'm with You)
by myblueworld
Summary: Nico di Angelo could not wait until he started college, so he didn't have to deal with the stupid social pyramid in high school any longer. Will Solace could not wait until college started again, so he could keep himself busy and stopped himself from overthinking. And they met on a rainy day, where Will was just trying to be nice and Nico had been having a bad day.
1. Chapter 1

Nico di Angelo could not wait until he started college.

There were only a few things that he hated more than the stupid social life of high school students, where he was of course, at the bottom of the pyramid while the popular jocks were far up there. So when he finally pulled out his car in the parking lot of his new apartment, he was mildly excited.

Just mildly.

Because Nico di Angelo didn't do those crappy things widely known as emotions.

He inserted his keys. The sound of the door being unlocked was like the first notes of a freedom song. Nico pushed the door open, and saw someone was already there in the common area of the 2-bedroom apartment.

A tall, skinny guy with blond hair turned his head from the TV screen. Once he saw Nico, the blond stood up and smiled at Nico.

"Oh, you must be the other tenant," he said as he made a beeline towards Nico. "I am Octavian. Pleased to meet you," he said, pulling Nico's hand to shake it.

Nico never believed in love at first sight. He believed in annoyed at the first sight. And that was exactly what he was feeling now.

Octavian was smiling at him but Nico could see how fake that smile was. Nauseating.

Octavian's fingers were long and thin and felt like overcooked spaghetti between his. Nico pulled his hand abruptly.

"Nico," he said. "Nico di Angelo."

He didn't bother saying pleased to meet you too because no, he didn't find meeting this guy to be a pleasant experience.

So why bother saying so?

Thankfully, a voice calling from the still opened door saved Nico from any obligation to continue the conversation.

"Nico?"

Hazel stood in front of the door.

"We just got here and Frank parked his car next to yours," she said.

"Oh, that should be okay," Nico said.

He noticed how Hazel's eyes moved to Octavian who was standing next to him.

"Oh, yeah," he said, turning his head to Octavian. "That's my sister. Hazel."

Octavian raised an eyebrow skeptically, like he didn't really believe in what Nico just said. Nico didn't really care, though. He's used to getting that kind of reaction. The contrast between his pale skin and Hazel's dark one was something that made people ad that questioning look whenever they said that they were siblings.

Hazel also had gotten used to it too, but of course, she handled it better than Nico. She took two steps forward and stretched her hand out to Octavian, along with a friendly smile.

"Hello," she greeted him. "Are you Nico's roommate? I am Hazel, pleased to meet you."

The smile returned to Octavian's lips. Still a wide one, still a fake one. And at the border of a flirtatious one.

"Hello, I'm Octavian. And yes, I am your brother's roommate."

"Hazel, Nico?"

Frank stood by the door, his bulky figure almost blocking half of the light from the window. Hazel quickly took a few steps to stand next to him. Octavian stared at Frank for a second or two before looked back at Nico. There was a strange, borderline mocking expression in his eyes.

'Don't tell me that this is your brother?" Octavian asked.

Nico snorted and shook his head. "Nope. He's Hazel's boyfriend."

Gosh, how glad he was that Frank was indeed her boyfriend. Telling it to Octavian was like giving him the first warning to stay away from Hazel.

Frank nodded at Octavian as his hand curled around her waist.

"Hello. I'm Frank," he said along with a polite smile.

There was a strange expression on Octavian's face as he stared at the couple. But Nico did not waste his time just trying to figure out what did the expression mean.

"Frank, Haze, can you help me unloading my stuff from my car?" he asked. "Come on," he said walking out of the apartment.

He could still hear Hazel saying we'll be back to Octavian before she came out of the apartment and trying to catch up with Nico's wide steps.

"Octavian seems nice," Hazel said as she took out a canvas bag from the backseat of Nico's car.

Nico raised an eyebrow. "You think so?"

Hazel hummed. "He looks friendly," she said.

From the corner of his eyes, Nico could see Frank furrowed his brows, looking a bit skeptical with Hazel's verdict. Nico snorted.

"First impression is not always the correct one, you know," Nico said.

"Maybe, but still, my first impression of him is he's friendly," Hazel said.

Nico almost rolled his eyes. That's just how Hazel was. She always saw the world through rose-colored eye-glasses, which was a huge contrast to Nico who always skeptical about everything.

Hazels' always-positive attitude (that was on the borderline of being too naïve) only made Nico love her even more and protect his little sister from everything, even though they were only half-siblings.

Nico loved Hazel as much as he loved Bianca, his other sister who was now studying in another college.

But still, Hazel's opinion about Octavian would not change Nico's.

* * *

Will Solace has always liked first days of school. And to be honest, Will liked schools. He liked taking classes, he liked learning something new, and he liked to know that he was on his way to being a doctor.

What he didn't like was only the pressure of getting good grades.

But yeah, Will liked school. Especially when studying could keep his mind occupied. It's nice to have some breaks, of course. But long breaks only made Will would spend hours lying on his bed, over-thinking about stuff that he knew he shouldn't have to worry about. At least not yet.

So Will was happy to get back to his apartment that he has been sharing with Austin since last year, when the two of them were still freshmen. He was happy to come to his classes, jotting down important dates in his planner based on the syllabus.

He was happy. Excited.

It was around 10.30 in the first Monday of classes when he just got out of his first class of that day. Will was making his way to the building where he would have his next class when a voice called his name.

"Hey, Will!"

Will made a 180-degree turn and saw Percy coming towards him. He greeted Will with a wide grin and his green eyes twinkling.

"Hey, Percy! How's your break?"

"It was great," Percy said. "I worked in the City's Aquarium during Summer, and I even had a chance to visit Annabeth in her home in San Fransico."

"That's great," Will said.

"How about you?"

Will shrugged his shoulders. "It was nice. I went back to Tennessee and had a summer job at the clinic in my town."

"Great," Percy said. "Hey man, speaking about job. I was actually looking for you."

Will raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

Percy nodded. "So, Paul asked me whether you would be interested to work again. You know, if you have the time and you want to?"

Last year, Will had a part-time job in a coffee-shop owned by Paul, Percy's stepdad. He enjoyed the job. Paul was really nice and the other workers were also great people. It was a bit of juggling with his classes, but he managed. And a bit of extra money wouldn't hurt, right?

"Sure! I'd love to," Will said.

"Great. So, can you come to the coffee shop this afternoon to talk things out with him? He said he would be there after work in his office, at around 5.30, until around 8?"

Will ran his fingers through his hair. "Sure. I think I can drop by there at around 6.30, maybe?"

"Cool!" Percy grinned. "I got to run to my next class now. So, I'll see you around, then?"

"Yeah, sure."

Percy waved at him before disappearing among the other students.

Will hasn't walked far away yet when his phone vibrated. He fished it out from his pocket, smiling to see the text from Mitchell, his best friend, asking him whether they were in the same division for the next class. Will replied, telling him that yes, they were indeed in the same division as he continued walking to the building.

First day of the new semester, and so far, it has been great.

Will, was happy.


	2. Chapter 2

Nico was right.

Octavian was irritating. Annoying. Octavian was that kind of person you had the bad luck of having to share a place with.

Dirty dishes in the sink was just an example. Some fruits that Nico bought and kept in the fridge seemed to disappear magically. Pizza left uneaten laid on the coffee table until some green and white stuff started sprouting out on the surface.

At least it was an individual lease, so Nico knew he wouldn't have to deal with late rent payment.

It was just the first week of classes, and Nico has decided that he would do whatever he could so he wouldn't have to spend more time than necessary in the apartment. Even if he was in the apartment, he usually just stayed in his own room, and let Octavian do whatever in the common area. And that was why Nico wandered around the streets of the downtown area of the small college town where University of Delphi was located, after he just finished all his classes on the first day. He didn't want to go back to his apartment yet and it's just 4 in the afternoon. He thought it was not that late yet to explore the downtown area, which was only about half an hour of leisure walk from campus.

He stopped in front of the display window of a store. From the clothes and some other knick-knacks being displayed, it looked like one of those hipster kind of stores that sold vintage stuff.

Nico lifted his eyes up, reading the words Iris' Place painted in rainbow colors on the wooden plate above the window.

Nico shrugged his shoulders. Who knew what he could find inside.

The bell above the door rang cheerfully as Nico walked into the store. The smell of lavender hit his nostrils. A young girl with red hair who was sitting behind the cash register lifted her head from a book that she was reading. She smiled and nodded at Nico before going back to her book. Nico walked slowly, looking around the store. The store did not seem to be exclusive in selling just one particular kind of thing. It had a little bit of everything. Books, clothes, little figurines, candles. Nico stopped to check some vinyl and pleasantly surprised to see some albums of Ramones and other bands that he likes. After spending about 10 minutes checking out the vinyl's, he moved to another side of the store, and started checking out some T-Shirts.

A sign on the rack saying that the shirts were on sale with a 25% discount. The last time he bought himself a shirt was like two years ago. Nico decided that those were enough reasons for him to buy a new shirt. He was holding two shirts, one with a Ramones logo on it, the other one had a Fall Out Boy logo.

"If I were you, I would pick the one on the left."

Nico quickly turned his head to where the voice came from.

An Asian girl, about the same height as Nico was looking at him, looking half-bored. She was pretty. Nico was as straight as a rainbow, but he could see that this girl was pretty. Not in the sweet girl kind of pretty, more like the fierce kind of pretty.

"Well," Nico said as he shrugged a shoulder. "You were not me."

"I'm not," the girl said as she flicked her long jet black hair. "But it doesn't change the fact that the crow black one would look better than the coal one."

Nico blinked. His eyes darted to the shirt on his left hand, to the one on his right hand, then back to the girl.

"Both of them are black," he said plainly.

The girl exhaled a bored sigh. "Yes, but they are different shades of black," she explained. "The one on your left is crow black, because the black has a shade of dark brown in it." She pointed to the shirt o Nico's right hand. "And that one is coal black, which is more dark gray, very dark gray."

Nico stared at her dumbfoundedly. She continued.

"You have a nice olive complexion even though you look a bit pale now, that's why crow black would look better since it tends to be a warmer color."

Nico glared at her.

"I didn't ask for your opinion," he said.

"You didn't," she said. "But I am still giving it to you for free. Consider it as a blessing."

She turned around and walked away. Nico watched her back as she walked to the door, the sound of pointed-heels of her knee-length boots echoed in the room. Nico was still staring until she disappeared from the door. Two seconds later, he sighed and shook his head. He looked at both of the shirts again. After a while, he put the Ramones shirt back to the rack.

He brought the black, no, the _crow black_ shirt with the Fall Out Boy logo on it to the register.

* * *

"What time do you have to be in the Oracle?"

"I told Percy I will drop by there to talk with Paul at around 6.30," Will said as he slipped in his notebook into his backpack. "You want to tag along?"

"Hmm… Let's see about it later. But I actually wanted to ask whether you can go with me to Iris' Place now," Mitchell said.

Will glanced at his left wrist. His watch told him that it was just 4.20 in the afternoon. The walk to Iris would only take about 30 minutes so he still had time before he had to go to the Oracle.

"Great," Mitchell said with a grin.

"You need something?" Will asked as they walked out of the building.

"Connor's birthday is in two weeks, so I want to look for something nice for his gift," Mitchell said.

"What do you have in mind?"

Mitchell shrugged his shoulders at Will's question. "I'm not sure yet," he said. "Hopefully I can find something there."

The walk to Iris' Place was nice. It was not too hot for an afternoon in late August and the breezy wind was cool enough to remind them that Fall was just around the corner.

Will was laughing at Mitchell's story about his sister when he pushed the door to Iris' Place. He glanced at the register, where Rachel, a girl that he knew from the Orientation Week, was with a customer.

Rachel turned her head to Will and flashed a smile at him, waving her hand a little. At the back of his mind, Will wondered why the guy who was paying was wearing all black in such a lovely day like this. He followed Mitchell who was already checking out some fedora hats on display.

Will chuckled as he made his way to where Mitchell was standing.

"A fedora hat, Mitch? Really?"

Mitchell held a green fedora hat and staring at it with a contemplative look.

"Connor has a green coat that I think will look great with this hat," he said. "What do you think?" He turned his head at Will, lifted the hat just a bit higher.

"Well, the hat is nice," Will shrugged his shoulders. "And I like the color."

Mitchell nodded. "I think it will bring out Connor's eyes if he wears it," he said.

Mitchell put the hat back on the display. "Let's see if there's anything else interesting," he said. "I can go back to this later."

Will hummed and followed Mitchell as he moved to the rack that held some shirts with logo bands on it.

"You have other plans besides gift for his birthday?" Will asked as Mitchell going through the shirts.

"I planned to make a reservation in a French restaurant, just about an hour drive from here," Mitchell said. He flashed a glance at Will, a small shy smile on his lips. "I am excited about this. This will be the first time we celebrate his birthday together since we're dating."

Will chuckled.

"How long have you two been dating? Six, seven months?"

"It will be nine months on the thirtieth," Mitchell said. The shy smile was there but his eyes were twinkling.

Will raised his eyebrows and let out a small laugh.

"You really like him, huh?"

Mitchell's cheeks were dusted with pink color and he smiled softly as he nodded. "Yeah, I guess so."

Will lightly shoved Mitchell's shoulder with his. "And I guess he really likes you too," he said, grinning at a blushing Mitchell.

Mitchell didn't answer him and ducked his head down a little, pretending like he was eyeing a shirt that had some sort of vintage pictures of New York landscape on it. But Will could see how his smile was a bit wider.

Will was happy to see Mitchell looking happy like that. He really was. Mitchell has been his closest friend since the first day he started college. Connor, despite his stupid pranks sometimes, has been really good to Mitchell. Will could see how Connor looked at Mitchell with that delicate look in his eyes, like Mitchell was an angel who just came down from heaven.

So yeah, Will as really happy to see how being together with Connor has made Mitchell looked like he was glowing with happiness.

Still, Will couldn't help to wonder how it felt, having someone who cared about him like the way Mitchell cared about Connor. How it felt to have someone who looked at him like the way Connor was staring at Mitchell.


	3. Chapter 3

Classes at 7.30 should be banned from the universe. It's inhuman.

Nico took another sip of coffee from the carton cup that he was holding. He was wondering whether anyone had started a petition to erase morning classes from existence. He paid no attention at all to the other students that started coming in to the classes.

"So you really did take my advice, did you?"

Nico slowly turned his head to his left, finding that the seat next to him was now taken by a girl. The same girl that tried to tell him the difference between two shades of black.

Nico looked away from the girl and took another sip of his coffee.

"Who said I bought this shirt because you told me so?" he said, shrugging a shoulder nonchalantly. "Maybe I like this band better."

The girl waved dismissively. "Sure, if you say so, Emo Boy."

"It's Nico, Nico di Angelo," Nico said, turning to look at the girl again. "You're also in Criminology, Fashion Girl?" Nico asked.

"It's Drew. And yes, I am in Criminology."

 **o0o**

* * *

 **o0o**

Fifty minutes later, the professor ended the lecture. Nico sighed as he glanced at his wrist. He had about an hour and a half before his next class.

"You look like you need another cup of coffee."

Nico groaned at Drew's comment. "A cup? Make it a pot," he said.

"Want to grab some? We still have time before the next class, right?"

Nico turned his head to Drew who was sliding her binder into her bag. "Yeah. Starbucks? The one in the Union?"

Drew made a disgruntled noise. "Oh, please," she said. "I thought you Italian people would want better coffee than what they offer there?"

Nico arched an eyebrow. "How do you know I am Italian?"

Drew looked at him with her head tilted to the left. Her expression saying _Duh?_ without her voicing it.

"Your accent? Your last name?"

Nico opened his mouth but Drew already stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder.

"Come on," she said. "I know this place around here. And take it from me, it's better than any Starbucks."

 **o0o**

* * *

 **o0o**

Nico had to admit, that Drew Tanaka was right.

The Oracle offered a much better coffee than Starbucks.

 **o0o**

* * *

 **o0o**

Will was sitting on the floor, in front of the door of his apartment. He was lacing his sneakers as he was getting ready to go to his shift at the Oracle when he heard footsteps coming down from the stair.

He lifted his head up and found Jason Grace, greeting him with a smile.

"Hey, Will," he said as he climbed up the last step of the stair, and stopped in front of Will's door.

"Jason! How are you, neighbor?" Will greeted him back and he stood up, slinging his backpack on his shoulder.

"I'm good," Jason said. "Glad that you decided to stay here."

Will grinned as he ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah. I mean, the rent is quite good, it's not far from campus and The Oracle."

"You work there again? Nice."

Will hummed. "Yeah. And Austin also liked the place so we decided to renew the lease for another year."

"Oh, speaking of that, Will, do you by any chance, happen to know anyone who is looking for a place?"

Will's brows raised up. "Why? What happened?"

Jason sighed. "Yeah. So, apparently there is this….family emergency thing happened to Michael, so he decided to take a break this semester. It was such a sudden decision. He just told me like… two days ago."

"What? Man, that sucks."

"Yeah. So unless I find a new roommate by the end of next month, I will have to pay all the rent by myself."

"That really sucks. Have you tried to put advertisement? Craig List or something?"

Jason nodded. "I made a post on that Facebook group about housing around our campus. I haven't gotten anything yet. But I just posted it yesterday, anyway."

Will shook his head as he closed the door behind him.

"Well, good luck with that, Jase. And I'll spread the words. You want me to put a flyer or something on the board in the Oracle?"

"That would be great. How about I send it the flyer by email tonight?"

"Sure," Will said. "Gotta run now. My shift is in about half an hour."

"Yeah. Thank you, Will. I really appreciate it," Jason said with a grateful smile.

"No problem, dude."

"Bye, Will. Have a good one," Jason said, and made his way to his own apartment, right across the hall of Will's apartment.

Will walked down the stairs, off to his first day working back in The Oracle.

 **o0o**

* * *

 **o0o**

Friday.

This was the Friday of the first week of classes. Which marked that Nico has been living in the same apartment with Octavian for a week.

And he almost, almost could not take it any longer.

It was not even 8 in the morning when Nico opened the tin where he stored his ground coffee, only to find that the coffee there was barely enough to make a single cup. He swore he supposed to have more than that.

He glanced at the coffee table. There was a white mug lying on the coffee table, next to a plate with some breadcrumbs. Nico knew for sure the mug (and the plate) was not there last night. The opened box of pizza where the uneaten crust left inside was there since last night (and the night before. Gross). But not that mug. Nico was pretty sure that the mug was part of the explanation why he mysteriously ran out of coffee.

Octavian was lucky that he was not in the apartment, and Nico had to rush to his class. Otherwise Octavian would end up in shredded forms.

But of course. Of fucking course the world was joking around with him. As if starting the day in a caffeine-deprived condition (thank you very much, Octavian) was not enough, Nico had a TA for his first class that day because the professor had a sudden emergency family situation. The TA did nothing more than just reading every single word written in the power point.

He had two more classes after that and even though they were not as bad as the first class, they didn't make Nico feel any better.

And by the end of the day, when it was already 5 in the afternoon and Nico decided that he was so done with the world, the world decided that no, it hasn't done with him yet.

Nico wasn't even half-way yet from the library on his way back to the apartment when the rain started pouring down. Nico groaned.

He ran a hand through his hair that instantly soaked the raindrops when his eyes caught the sign of The Oracle, right across the street. Even from outside, the sight of the warm interior looked inviting.

Compared to walking down under the rain, the option of having something to drink in that coffee shop seemed to be much more appealing. Nico took a deep breath. He raised the collar of his jacket, and ran to the coffee shop.


	4. Chapter 4

**-o0o-**

Nico stepped in, greeted by the soft jazz music and the warmth of the coffee shop that was filled with the nice heavenly smell of coffee. Someone behind the counter lifted his head up and greeted Nico with a warm smile.

"Hello! Welcome to The Oracle," the guy behind the counter greeted, his blond hair softly glowing under the yellowish light from the lamps.

Nico walked to the counter. He ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head a little, making small droplets of water splattered from his head.

"How are you today?" The blond asked him as he took a step to the cash register where Nico was standing.

His smile was bright. His eyes were smiling too, like the bright blue sky in a lazy summer day.

And maybe Nico should not have done it but Nico was just so so done with the world today, that the simple question suddenly snapped something inside of him.

"How am I doing today? You ask me how am I doing today?"

Blond eyebrows in front of him shot up, almost touching curls of golden hair. But Nico already continued. It's like a dam inside of him suddenly just broke down and his bottled frustration for the day just burst out.

"Today has been shit. My housemate has won another award of the most annoying housemate when it was not even 8 in the morning today. My TA was anything but good, and my classes were fucking shit. I planned to stay in the library but they kicked me out because they are closing earlier today for god knows whatever reason was it, which means I have to go back to my apartment that I share with someone whom I could have sworn born and raised in hell. But of fucking course, if you haven't noticed it yet, it's raining now when I don't even have an umbrella with me. Not like I have one, anyway. So yeah, if you ask me how am I doing today, I am doing fucking great, thank you very much."

Nico was half-panting as he looked up at the barista.

Which made him go from the state of having an emotional outburst, into a state of confusion.

That smile that the barista had was still there. Like the emotional burst that Nico just showed was something that he normally had as part of his job. The smile was still there and it was still a gorgeous bright one. The only thing that changed about his expression was only the look in his eyes, that got softer. Like he understood. Like he wanted to offer some comfort.

Really, it was confusing. The barista's reaction was just something Nico could not understand.

So confusing, Nico could not find any word to say.

Or maybe he already ran out of the maximum number of words to say in front of a stranger for today.

The barista nodded lightly.

"Okay," he said. "That sounds really sucks dude. Now what can I get you?"

Nico exhaled a sigh and ran his hand over his head.

"Can I get a large iced coffee, please? No sweetener, no creamer."

The barista arched an eyebrow as he picked up a plastic cup. The corner of his lips twitched.

"What?" Nico asked sharply. "Now you're also questioning my choice of drink?"

The barista laughed. He fucking laughed.

Just a small laugh. But still.

A small part of Nico's mind thought that the laugh was so warm, Nico almost forgot that it was raining outside. But the rest of Nico's mind got even more confused.

"Oh, no, not at all," the barista said, shaking his head. "I think iced coffee suits your inner soul. Dark, cold, without any fake artificial sweetener."

Nico's jaw fell open, and he really, really wanted to say something worthy enough as an excellent response. But he failed to say anything.

So he closed his mouth and shook his head again, almost desperately. He huffed.

"Can I get an espresso shot in it, please?" Nico asked, this time in a lower voice. He didn't even look at the barista's eyes.

"You surely can."

The barista scribbled something on the plastic cup. Nico stubbornly fixed his gaze on the surface of the counter, but when he risked a quick glance, he could see the small smug smile curled up at the corner of those lips. Nico hated that smile. And he hated it even more to realize that the smile made something flutter gently in his stomach.

"It would be 3.25, please."

Nico inserted his card into the card reader quietly and took it out once the process was done.

"Do you need your receipt?"

"No, thanks," Nico mumbled.

"Alright, it will be right up," the barista said. He cleared his throat. "And… Uh…"

Nico lifted his head up, finally bracing himself to meet the barista's eyes.

Damn. Was someone even allowed to have eyes which were so blue like that?

"Uhm. I hope…well.. I hope your day got better," the barista said. He was still smiling. But this time it was a tentative one. Like he was not really sure whether he was allowed to smile. And the look in those blue eyes was there again. A soft, gentle look, that was sincerely offering comfort.

Nico brushed away some of his hair from covering his eyes.

"Thank you," he said quietly. The barista nodded and perhaps it was just the trick of light, but those freckled cheeks look a bit brighter than a moment ago.

It must be the lamp above him playing some trick.

It must be the lamp above or the heating system in this coffee shop that suddenly made Nico feel a rush of heat on his cheeks.

Nico hastily walked away from the counter, and took a seat in a vacant table by the window. Leaning back to his seat, Nico stared at the window. It was still raining outside even though it was not as hard as before. Nico absently wondered why that barista could still had such a warm smile even in this kind of rainy weather.

"Iced coffee?"

Nico's head snapped back to the counter. Another barista with curly dark hair flashed him as a grin as he placed a plastic cup on the counter. Nico's eyes darted to the register, where the blond guy was now taking the order from another customer. Nico chewed his lower lip as he stood up. He quickly walked to the counter and picked up the cup, along with a straw that the barista put next to the cup.

His brows furrowed down a little as he noticed that there was a brown paper sleeve around the cup. A small folded paper was stuck on the sleeve with a small tape. Nico walked back to his table and sat down. He took out the paper and unfolded it.

The handwriting on the paper was neat, in small round letters.

 _I'm sorry that your roommate sucks. If you're thinking to find a new one, my friend is looking for a roommate._

Below those lines, the name _**Jason Grace**_ was written, followed by a series of numbers.

 **-o0o-**


	5. Chapter 5

"So what do you think, Will?"

Will tapped his chin with the pen that he was holding.

He hummed at Mitchell's question. "Yeah, sure," he said absently, trying to read the same lines that he has been staring at for the last few minutes.

"Will."

"Huh?" Will turned his neck to look at Mitchell who was sitting cross-legged on the floor, his back against Will's bed.

"Will," Mitchell said. "I just asked you whether I should watch a romantic comedy or a romantic drama for next week with Connor."

Will blinked. "Oh," he said. "Sorry. I was… just… a bit-"

"Distracted?"

Will looked back to the lines of words and sentences in the textbook on his lap that he supposed to be reading.

"Will?"

Will only gave Mitchell a side glance.

"What happened?"

"Nothing," Will said, stubbornly glared at the page opened in front of him.

"Will."

Will sighed and put his pen on the table. "It was nothing, really," he said as he leaned back against the headboard.

"If it was nothing then why you got so distracted?"

"It's just…." Will picked his pen up and fiddled with it again. "So, two days ago, on Friday?"

Mitchell hummed, signaling him to continue.

"There was this customer that… just walked into the coffee shop."

"AHA!" Mitchell half-shrieked, sounded ridiculously excited. He hopped up to the bed, mirroring Will, he sat cross-legged on the bed. I knew it!" He grinned at Will.

"So, tell me," Mitchell said as he picked up the textbook from Will's lap. He closed and put it away. "What happened with this customer? What did they do that make you couldn't stop thinking about them?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows teasingly at Will.

Heat creeping up his cheeks but Will still tried to glare at Mitchell.

"Mitchell! It's not like what you think!"

Mitchell waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, come on. Just tell me. Spill."

Will sighed. "So, do you remember that last Friday, it was raining in the afternoon?" Will started telling his best friend about Mr. Iced Coffee.

Ten minutes later, Will let out another sigh after he finished his story.

In front of him, Mitchell was staring at him, something that looked almost dangerous twinkled in his eyes, and his lips twitched like he was trying not to laugh.

"What?" Will said, half-annoyed at the funny look that Mitchell was giving him.

"He's cute, huh?"

"What?" Will's brows shot up. "Cute? No! Like… Every single piece of clothing that he had was in black! And just in case you forgot, he snapped at me and gosh, Mitchell, if only you'd seen the way he glared at me? Nope. Emo? Yeah, could be. But cute?"

"But he's attractive."

"Well," Will swallowed. "Not real-"

"Yes. You do think he's attractive."

"What? No!" Will waved his hand frantically. "I mean, like… he looked like-"

"Will."

"What?"

Mitchell stared at him. Will had no idea what kind of expression that he had, but the next second, Mitchell threw his head to the back as his laughter burst out.

"Whaaat?" Will shoved Mitchell's shoulder.

Mitchell shook his head as he shifted his position on the bed, so now his back was against the wall.

"Oh Will," he said, grinning at Will. "You had a crush on that mysterious Mr. Iced Coffee."

"Am not!" Will said, crossing his arms across his chest. He tried to glare, but his cheeks were betraying him by blushing furiously.

Mitchell didn't say anything to that. He only looked at Will, tilting his head a little and his lips forming a lopsided smirk.

Will sighed. Sometimes he hated the fact that he could never be a good liar in front of Mitchell.

"So what if I find him weirdly attractive?" Will picked his book up and flipped the pages, trying to find the last page he was at a moment ago. "It's not like he's going to show up again anyway," he added, half-mumbling.

"Oh, who knows? Besides Starbucks in the Union, there are only like… 2 other coffee shops that are close enough to campus, Will."

"Yeah, sure," Will said. "And against all odds, he would just show up again, right when I have my shift, and magically ask me out."

"It can happen."

Will snorted. "Right. In movies. And books. Not in real life."

"Hey, a lot of movies and books are based on real life, you know?"

Will rolled his eyes. "I don't know how Connor can deal with such a hopeless romantic like you, Mitch," Will said.

He threw his book to the mattress. "Come on, wanna grab something to eat?"

"Oh, can we get Subway, please?" Mitchell said, hopping off the bed.

He followed Will walking out of the bedroom. After waving goodbye to Austin and promised to bring him something to eat, Will opened the door and stepped out.

Just in time when Jason was inserting his key to the door.

"Hey, Jason!"

Jason turned around and smiled at Will.

"Will, how is it going?"

"Alright, I guess." Will shrugged his shoulder. "Hey, by the way, have you found a roommate yet?"

Jason pushed up his glasses. "Uhm. Not yet. There is this Luke guy who called me yesterday, though."

Will ignored his heart that skipped a beat.

Could it be that all-black guy?

"Yeah?"

Jason nodded. "He said he will come and have a look tomorrow morning, at around 9."

Suddenly Will hated the fact that he had a class at 8.30 on Monday mornings.

"Oh, okay," Will said. "Good luck with the roommate hunt, dude."

 **-o0o-**

* * *

"And do you know what he did this morning?"

"What?" Drew asked without looking up from her laptop. The sounds of her typing the essay for their Introduction to Criminal Justice filled in the small Study Group room where they were sitting in the library.

"Instead of taking that 3 minutes needed to wash one of his cups, he used my favorite mug. The one that has Buffon's picture on it!"

"And?" Drew still sounded like she could not care less.

Nico groaned and rubbed his face.

"Drew, didn't you hear the part that it's my favorite mug? Bianca gave it to me when she went to Turin last year!"

"So like, it's sacred or something?"

Nico let out another groan and shook his head.

"I just don't think I could not take it any longer," Nico said, leaning his back against his chair. "Octavian, is that roommate that a BuzzFeed article will define as a roommate from hell."

"Then find a new roommate."

"You think I can kick him out of the apartment?" Nico spun his pen between his fingers. "Hiding his dead body felt like too much work to do."

Drew clicked her tongue. "Why don't you go find a new apartment?"

Nico made a non-committal sound from his throat as he flipped the pages of his notes.

"Too much work," he said.

"And believe me, it's too much work for me listening to you whining about your roommate."

Nico tapped his pen on the notebook. He had his eyes on his notes but his mind started thinking about what Drew just said.

"And you know that paying the penalties to the leasing office would not be a problem for you."

Well, Drew was right.

Yes, Hades and Persephone might ask him questions and probably there would be some grumbling too. But he could put the look on his face, and even asked Hazel for some favor, and well… In short, no, it was not really a problem.

It's not like Hades and his recording company was at the edge of bankruptcy anyway.

"Ha! I know that you're thinking about it now."

Nico lifted his head up from his notebook. Across the table, Drew was staring at him with a small smirk on her lips. The smirk that she had when she knew that she was right.

Nico shrugged his shoulders absently. "Probably. Maybe," he said, but already had his eyes on his notes.

"Well, if you are thinking about it, just so you know that it's probably difficult to get a place that is close to campus."

Nico only raised his eyebrows.

"Because I mean, this is already the second week of the semester. The best places that are close to campus might already full," Drew said. She continued talking about some other places, but Nico was only half-listening.

He was only half-listening, as his mind drifted to a coffee shop, a tall blond barista, and a note stuck on the cup's sleeve with a small tape.

A note with a phone numbers scribbled on it, that Nico kept in his wallet.

 **-o0o-**


	6. Chapter 6

-o0o-

Nico stared at the closed door. The yellowish plate numbers, spelling _**21**_ standing out in contrast with the blue paint of the door.

When Nico texted this Jason Grace guy, he was a bit surprised to get a reply that yes, Jason was indeed, still looking for a roommate. And he got even more pleasantly surprised when Jason texted him the address, and it was actually quite close to campus. He even passed that coffee shop when he was walking from the library to the apartment. And no, he did not think about the blond barista with a sunshine smile when he passed The Oracle. Nope. Not at all.

Nico took a deep breath, and exhaled it out in a huff. He knocked the door. Nico slid his hand into his pockets, and waited.

It didn't take long before he heard the rustling sound of the key being unlocked, which was quickly followed by the door swung opened.

A tall, blond guy with a pair of glasses was now standing in front of him, still holding the doorknob. He was slightly smiling, but his blue eyes studying Nico a bit carefully.

"Uhm. Hi," Nico shifted a bit uneasily. "I texted you about the room?" He said hesitantly.

Blond eyebrows raised up as the smile in front of him got wider.

"Ah, Nico, right? I am Jason," Jason said, stretching his hand out to offer a handshake.

Nico nodded and shook his hand quickly.

"Come on in," Jason said as he opened the door wider and stepped aside.

Nico walked in and quickly looked around. The living room was the first thing that comes to view. A big flat-screen TV was mounted on the wall, at the right side of the door. Across of the TV was a set of couch, and two armchairs, along with a dark-wooden coffee table. A few throw pillows were on the couch and the armchairs, their bright colors a nice touch over the dark fabric of the couch.

On the left of the door, there was a small coat storage closet. Then a medium half-cabinet separated the living room from the kitchen and dining area. Jason waved vaguely as Nico stood in front of the coat closet, gazing around.

"Well, the apartment is already furnished with some basic stuff. Those couches and armchair and the TV are among the included furniture."

Nico nodded and followed Jason to the kitchen area. A brown-haired girl was sitting on one of the stools by the dining table. She waved at Nico.

"Hey," she greeted and smiled.

Nico nodded, could not help but notice the kaleidoscopic eyes of the girl.

"That's Piper, my girlfriend," Jason said. Despite the cool, calm, confident vibe that he was radiating, his cheeks were blushing, like he himself was still in an awe that she was his girlfriend.

"The vacant room is there," Jason said, leading Nico to walk across the kitchen. He pushed the door open, and stood aside as Nico walked in.

Nico took three steps forward and stopped in the middle of the room. It was not too big, slightly smaller than Nico's bedroom right now. There was a bed, twin-sized, and a small desk was pushed against the wall, right by the window. The opened door of the closet showed that its reasonable size.

Nico walked to the window and peeked in between the blinds.

"It was not big, but it was reasonable," Jason said.

Nico hummed his agreement. He walked to the closet and checked it.

"Oh, and I… guess I have to warn you. Piper, she… well.. you know, she hangs out a lot here-"

Nico waved his hand dismissively. "I won't mind, really," Nico said, and inspected the small nightstand next to the bed. "As long as you're not to loud when you two are fucking," he said. This time he turned his head to look at Jason. Jason was blushing furiously and he was looking away from Nico.

Nico chuckled.

"No, I mean, uh," Jason paused and cleared his throat. "It was just, Piper had this…obsession-"

"What do you mean I'm obsessed?"

Piper's voice cut Jason's mid-sentence.

A second later, Piper showed up next to Jason, shoving his shoulder. "It's not an obsession, Jason. It's human nature!"

Jason made a small snorting sound and rolled his eyes. He looked back at Nico.

"I mean, Piper often just showed up with some stray animals that she just found-"

"Oh, are you complaining now?" Piper asked, her voice laced with amusement and there was a half-smile playing on her lips.

"No, it's not like that." Jason quickly shook his head. "The stray animals usually just stayed here for a night or two before Piper brings them to a shelter or somewhere else. But I think I have to let you know about this. There was a guy yesterday who came to see the apartment, but turned out he's actually allergic to cat so…yeah…" Jason ended with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Oh, no, I'm totally fine with that," Nico said, running a hand over his head. "I like dogs. And cats. Back at home I actually have a dog."

"Really?" Piper's eyes lit up. "What kind of dog? A gothic-looking dog like you?"

Nico chuckled while Jason nudged Piper with his elbow, hissing a warning.

"He's a black Labrador, we call him Cerberus."

"Nice!" Piper said, looking excited. "I love Labradors."

"Piper," Jason said, sounded dramatically exhausted. "You love all kind of dogs."

Piper grinned.

"The bathroom is over there," Jason gestured with his chin to another doorway opening. "It's like… 1.5 bath, and the washer and dryer are also here in the unit."

Nico nodded and walked to the direction that Jason showed him. The doors were ajar. Nico checked the full bathroom and the half bath. He spared a glance at the washing machines and dryer across the doors.

"How much is it per month?"

Jason told him the rent. It was not the cheapest around the area, even slightly more expensive than what Nico had to pay for his apartment now. But compared to the facilities and how it's so close to campus, it was actually quite a good price. And most importantly, it was still within Nico's range of budget.

"Okay," Nico nodded. "I'll text you once I decided."

"Cool," Jason said with a small smile, and walked Nico to the door. "I hope to hear from you soon."

Nico gave him a half-smile. "You will."

Jason gave him another polite nod and closed the door. Nico stood still in front, quietly listening to the sound of the door being locked. Then he started counting until five before he fished his phone out from is pocket.

He quickly found Jason's number and started typing a message.

 _When can I move in?_

After tapping the screen to send the message, he put his phone back into his pocket and started counting again. He just reached 14 when he heard the door being unlocked.

The next second, the door swung opened. Jason stared at him, looking half-confused, half-amused. Piper was hovering a step behind him, grinning.

Nico smirked. "So, when?" He asked leisurely.

Jason chuckled. "You can move in whenever you want to."

"Would this Saturday be okay?"

Jason, his new roommate, smiled at him. His blue eyes smiled along as he nodded. "Saturday is fine."

 **-o0o-**


	7. Chapter 7

Drew picked up a piece of sushi from her plate. "So, tell me about this new apartment."

Nico had told Drew that he found a new apartment earlier this morning when they had their first class of the day. And now they were having lunch in the union building of their school, a quick break before they have their next class. Nico took a bite of his sandwich, chewed and swallowed it before answering her.

"It's…nice. Quite spacious. It's on Grant Street, just like… 3 blocks away from Athena Hall, you know?"

Drew arched an eyebrow. "That's quite close. I'm surprised that you find a place that is close to school at this time of the semester."

Nico chuckled lightly. "Yeah," he said. He took a sip of Coke from his cup. "Looks like my lucky star finally decided to help me out this time."

Drew nodded. "And who's this new roommate?"

"Jason Grace. He's a Junior in Political Science."

Something flickered across Drew's face. "Jason? Tall, blonde guy? Blue eyes?"

Nico tilted his head a little to the left as he eyed Drew more carefully. "You know him?"

Drew picked another piece of sushi. "Yeah."

Nico waited until drew finished with that piece of sushi.

"Jason is my ex almost boyfriend," Drew said nonchalantly, like she was just telling Nico that she was having another class after this.

Nico raised his eyebrows.

"Ex, almost, boyfriend..." he said, a slight pause between each word.

Drew hummed and nodded, picking up the last piece of her sushi.

"He has a girlfriend," Nico said plainly.

"He does."

"You know her?"

Drew flicked a strand of her hair, looking almost bored. "Piper McLean. Daughter of Tristan McLean. A junior in Mechanical Engineering. Best friends with Leo Valdez, whom she won a robotics competition with last year. A member of the Triple Delta sorority."

Nico snorted.

"Do you know her favorite food? Her shoe size?"

"Tofu tacos, and 7."

Nico's brows shot up and he laughed. Drew shrugged her shoulders.

"I have sources," she said. "And I know where to find information."

Nico shook his head in slight amusement. "Drew Tanaka," he said. "You, are going to be a great investigator," he said, pointing his finger at her.

Drew pushed away her now-empty paper plate. "Do you really think I chose Criminology just because I like it? No, Nico. I chose it because I _know_ that I am going to be good at it."

Nico crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah," he said, the left corner of his lip curl up into a crooked smirk. "I think you will completely nail it, Drew."

Drew stood up and slung her neon pink backpack over her shoulder. "Come on, we have 10 minutes."

Nico followed her. They threw the trashes and put the tray on the counter.

"So, when are you moving?" Drew asked as they walked out of the Union.

"This Saturday."

"I'll help you. I can talk to my father and we can use his van."

"Oh," Nico turned his head to look at Drew. "Thank you. That would be great!"

Drew nodded.

Nico chewed his lower lip, then asked her, this time with a bit of hesitation.

"But, you're okay with it, right?"

Drew clicked her tongue. "Nico, I wouldn't offer to help you if I don't want to do it."

Nico shrugged a shoulder. "I know. I mean, not just about…helping me with the moving stuff."

"What, then?"

"You're okay with me living with your ex almost boyfriend, aren't you?"

Drew snorted. "Nico," she said, shaking her head a little like she was totally amused by what Nico said. "Do you even have to ask?"

A small smile played on Nico's lips as he shook his head. "No, I don't."

 **-o0o-**

* * *

Will lifted his head up from his book when he heard the knock on the door. Mitchell opened the door and peeked his head in.

"Hey, Austin told me to just come in."

"Sure." Will stretched his arms up as he leaned back in his chair. "Come on in," he said.

Mitchell walked in and closed the door behind him.

"You have a new neighbor," he said as he sat on the floor, next to Will's bed.

Will's heart beat slightly faster. "Really?"

Mitchell nodded as he opened his bag and took out a folder. "I saw Drew walking out of Jason's apartment when I got here. So we talked a little."

Will's brows furrowed down. "Drew?"

Mitchell opened the folder and flipped through the papers in it, looking for the ones that he needed. He hummed.

"Yeah. Drew Tanaka," he said. He lifted his head up to look at Will. "She's my junior in high school. Now she's here doing… Criminology, if I'm not mistaken."

"And she is Jason's new roommate?"

Mitchell laughed, then shook his head. "No, not her. Even though if she was Jason's roommate, it will be… awkward, to say the least."

Will's looked at Mitchell blankly. Mitchell just waved his hand dismissively.

"Just some old high school drama," Mitchell said.

"So what is she doing there if she's not the new roommate?"

"She said she's helping her friend. Nico."

"Nico? Not Luke?"

Mitchell chuckled. "What?" He asked. "You think that the mysterious Mr-Iced-Coffee 's name is Luke?"

"No.. No…" Will quickly shook his head. "I mean… The last time I asked Jason whether he already found a new roommate, he said somebody named Luke called him?"

"Ah, and that Luke guy called Jason, right after you gave that mysterious guy his number?" Mitchell asked, slightly smirking.

Will shrugged his shoulder but refused to meet Mitchell's eyes. "Doesn't mean that Luke is that guy I saw in the coffee shop," he said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

Mitchell laughed lightly. "Oh, Will, let's just hope that this mysterious guy somehow finds his way back to you, yes?"

Will could feel a run of heat on the back of his neck. He groaned a little. He stood up from his chair and shuffled to where Mitchell was sitting.

"Oh, cut it out, Mitchell," he said as he sat next to Mitchell. "We have a lab report to work on."

Then again, as they were working on their lab report, Will could not help but wonder.

What if that Luke guy _was_ that mysterious guy?

 **-o0o-**


	8. Chapter 8

It was a Tuesday afternoon when Will got back to his apartment. Climbing up the stairs, he was thinking about a thousand things at once. And no, that mysterious customer wearing all black that somehow had an emotional outburst was not one of those thoughts. It's been more than a week since their encounter at the Oracle. Why should he think about him?

He was thinking that he might want to start on that homework that the professor gave him today when he inserted his keys into the lock. Then he heard the sound of the door of Jason's apartment. Instinctively, he turned around.

He embarrassingly let out a small gasp when he saw the guy that was now standing in front of Jason's door. A small space of the apartment hallway separating them.

It seemed like the guy recognized Will, from the way he looked at Will, his head tilting a bit to the left. The right corner of his lips tugged up slightly, forming a vague half-smirk.

"You…" Will said, still a bit too surprised. Then what Mitchell said a few days ago crossed his mind. "So.. your name is Nico!"

Nico raised his eyebrows, looking mildly surprised. But a second later, he gave Nico a single nod along with a small hum. "Yeah. Nico. Nico di Angelo."

"I thought your name was Luke!" Will blurted out.

Nico's eyes got widened, then he let out a small shirt laugh. "What? Luke? Why would you think my name is Luke?"

Will could feel embarrassment creeping up on his neck in form of heat. "I… I.. I mean…" he said. "I just.. You know… I thought… I thought your name was Luke." He stumbled on his words, not making himself any clearer.

Nico chuckled. Then he stared at Will, a small smirk playing on his lips and damn, he looked even more handsome if he wasn't sulking like the first time Will met him.

"Do I look like someone whose name is Luke?"

Will's hand flew to the back of his neck. "Uh. I.. I don't know. I mean… I don't know any Luke.. So. Uhm. I.. don't actually know how someone whose name was Luke would look like?"

Great, Will screamed at himself internally. He sounded like an idiot. Will wondered why he has come this far in life if he could not even make a sensible answer in a moment like this.

Luckily, Nico didn't seem to think that Will was an idiot. At least if that amused smile that he had now was something to go by.

Will fiddle with the strap of his backpack. "So. Uh. You're Nico? Jason's new roommate?"

Nico slid his hands into the pocket of his black aviator jacket. He shrugged his shoulder lightly. "Yeah," he said. "And you are?"

"I'm… I'm Jason's neighbor."

Silence for a beat as Nico stared at him with a funny look.

Then Will realized it.

"Uh. I mean… I am Will. Will Solace. And yeah. I am... Jason's neighbor."

Nico nodded. "So, that makes _us_ neighbor, then."

Something funny pulled in Will's chest. "Uh. Yes. I guess so," he said, and let out a nervous chuckle.

"Hey," Nico said, his voice a little lower this time. And the look in his eyes underneath the thick eyelashes was softer. "Thank you, by the way. It was you, right? The one who wrote that note?"

Will nodded, trying to ignore the small fluttering in his stomach. "Yeah. You're welcome. And Jason is a great guy. I hope that he makes a better roommate than what you had before?"

Nico smiled as he brushed away some hair from his forehead. "He totally is much better," he said. Then he licked his lower lip, looking a bit hesitant. Will watched Nico took a deep breath.

"And… I'm sorry, okay?" Nico said, this time with a softer voice.

Will's eyebrows raised up. "Sorry?"

"I am sorry that I snapped at you when we met the other week. I was just… having a bad day. And I shouldn't have…lashed it out to you. You didn't deserve it. Nobody deserves it."

Will's heart fluttered, and he smiled back at Nico.

"It's okay. Sometimes we have one of those days when everything is wrong and nothing is right."

"Yeah," Nico said, nodding vaguely. "But still. Servicing people is already a hard job. And other people should not make it even harder for them."

Will laughed lightly. "Hey, don't worry about it okay? You're forgiven. I already forgot about it. Don't worry."

A small smirk came back to Nico's lips along with a strange twinkle in his eyes. "Oh? So you're saying that you have forgotten about me already?"

Will could feel the rush of heat on his cheeks as he blinked, and quickly shook his head.

"No! No no! That's not what I meant! I mean, I still remember you, of course. But I mean… I was saying… It's not like I forgot you but it's not like I kept thinking about-"

Will stopped mid-word, freaking out that his word-vomit made things even more awkward. His face was practically on fire when he nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

"Uh. I mean. Don't worry about it," Will said.

Nico chuckled. Then he looked at Will with some sort of amused expression on his face.

"Well," Nico said. "Even if you don't remember me, I think at one point you will, because now that we're neighbors, I think we'll see each other sometimes?"

Will nodded. The thought that he and Nico might see each other again, even though maybe just some greetings when they passed each other, somehow it made that his heart did a happy little dance.

"Yeah, I guess so."

Nico smiled. "I got to run now. So, I'll see you around?"

"I'll see you around, neighbor."

Nico grinned at him and made his way to the stair. Will quickly opened his door and stepped in. He closed the door and leaned his back against the door.

 _Nico._

So his name was Nico. And he was Will's neighbor now.

Will didn't know why he had a stupid grin on his face now, but he didn't really care about it.


	9. Chapter 9

**-o0o-**

"Okay. That's it. I'm done for the day!" Drew exclaimed as she closed her laptop.

From the chair where he was sitting, Nico chuckled. "And by done, do you mean you have finished, or you're just…so done with it?"

Drew waved her hand dismissively. "The essay is due next week anyway. And I had enough stuff scribbled down for a draft," she said, and started putting her books in into her backpack.

Nico hummed as he spun his pen between his fingers.

"You know," he said. "You look like you could use some coffee."

Drew groaned lightly. "Yeah, coffee sounds nice, actually."

Nico's heart fluttered a bit. "Want to grab some? At The Oracle?" He asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"Like, now?"

"Yeah, now is good. Is it still open?" Nico asked, half-hoping that he didn't sound too excited. He closed his notebook, ready to gather his own stuff when Drew huffed and shook her head.

"Sorry, Nico. But I have to be somewhere else in like… an hour," Drew said, glancing at her left wrist to check her watch.

Nico shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, okay then."

He leaned back in his chair. His shoulders slumped down as a strange pang of vague disappointment hit him inside.

Drew slung her backpack over her shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow, Neeks."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Don't call me that."

Drew chuckled lightly. "Whatever. Bye, di Angelo."

Drew closed the door of the group study room, and Nico looked down back to the textbook in front of him. For a while, he tried to read the lines in the book, absently tapping his chin with the pen in his hand.

Fifteen minutes later, he realized that he was just staring at the sentences without really reading it. Somehow he just could not make himself focus on the assignment. Nico sighed, and rubbed his left eye with the heel of his hand. He checked the time on his phone. It was already 6.45. Probably he should just go back to his apartment.

As he stuffed his things into his backpack, he wondered whether The Oracle was still open. Considering that it's a coffee shop that was located near campus, Nico guessed that its opening hours would be until quite late at night.

Not that he was expecting it to still open, though. Not that he actually wanted to go there, anyway. It's just… The coffee shop was on his way back to his apartment and who knew, maybe-

Nico blinked, then shook his head a little to stop his own train of thought. Standing up from the chair, he put on his jacket. He turned off the lamp, then walked out the group study room, and closed the door behind him.

 **-o0o-**

* * *

Nico shifted his weight to the ball of his feet as he stood in front of The Oracle. That coffee shop was in fact, was not closed yet. It was not really crowded. From the window, Nico could see some people with their drink, sitting under the warm orange lights. Some people sat by themselves, working with their laptop or reading something, and there were also some others who were sitting in a small group of 2 or 3 other people.

Nico ran a hand over his head. Probably it was already a bit late to have coffee at this hour. And it was not like he had planned to stay up late tonight.

But, still.

Nico took a deep breath and let it out in a puff. He straightened his back, and walked to the door.

There was not any customer in front of the counter, so Nico easily saw the mop of blond hair standing behind the counter.

Will was talking with someone with curly hair who had a smile that reminded Nico of an elf. But Will quickly turned his head from the curly hair guy. Once his eyes met Nico, his lips tugged up into a bright smile.

"Hey, Nico!"

Without even thinking, Nico's lips curled up into a smile as he walked closer to the counter.

In front of the counter, Nico stopped, and slid his hands into the pocket of his jeans.

"Hey," he greeted Will.

Will folded his arms and put it on the counter. He leaned forward a little.

"So, what can I get you tonight, neighbor?"

Before Nico could answer it, the curly haired guy that was talking with Will chuckled.

"Wait. So you two are really neighbors now? So your strategy of sneaking in that notes actually worked?"

Nico might have imagined it, but Will's cheeks looked like they turned into a brighter shade.

"Oh, shut up, Leo!" Will said, and shoved his shoulder.

Leo's eyes darted to Nico and there was a strange glint in his eyes as he smirked.

"Well, whatever you say, Will," he said as he looked back to Will and winked at him.

Nico was now positive that Will was blushing.

He tried not to think about what might be the cause of that.

Leo walked to a stool in the corner, and hopped to sit on it. From the pocket of his apron, he took out something that looked complicated with some wires on it, and started fiddling with the object.

"Sorry about that," Will said, making Nico had his eyes back to Will. Will cleared his throat. "So, what can I get you?" Will asked him again. His smile was back on his lips. This time a softer one.

"Uh," Nico shifted his weight again to his toes, to the balls of his feet, then back to his toes again. He just realized that Will was that taller than him, he had to slightly angled his neck a bit to meet Will's blue eyes.

Which was a wrong move.

Because for a second, Nico's heart skipped a beat.

 _Why those eyes had to be so blue?_

"Uhm. Do you have like… Today's Special or something?" Nico asked.

Will's brows shot up, then he chuckled. "Well, we do have good coffee but we're not like… a fancy restaurant or something," he said, looking half-amused.

Nico licked his lower lip. "Well, uh…" He paused and his eyes caught the lists of menu on the wall.

"Uhm…" Nico's eyes skimmed the menu, suddenly aware that his heartbeat doubled.

"The peppermint mocha is really good, I should say," Will said.

Nico's eyes darted back to Will. He quickly nodded. "Yeah, I'll… I'll take that," he said.

Will nodded. "What size do you want?"

Nico bit his lower lip.

For a second, he questioned himself for being here in this coffee shop. He didn't even actually want coffee. He was just-

"Medium?" Nico said, sounding a bit unsure.

Will hummed as he picked up a carton cup and scribbled on it. "Is that all for you?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Okay." Will put the cup aside and started punching the register. "It would be 3.25, then."

Nico took out his debit card and inserted into the card reader. Once the screen showed the approval, he removed it.

"You want your receipt?"

Nico shook his head. "No, thanks."

"Okay, it will be right up, then!"

Nico muttered his thanks, and stepped aside from the counter. He looked around before he decided to sit in one of the vacant tables. It was right by the window and from there he could still have a good view of the coun-

Nico quickly shook his head again to stop the ridiculous thought. He sat on the chair. He chewed his lower lip and slowly turned his neck to look at the counter.

Right when Will was looking at him.

Nico hastily looked away and fixed his eyes on the window.

No, of course Will was not looking at him. He was probably just…gazing at the window. Yeah. That must be it.

Nico pulled out his phone and fiddled with it, waiting for his order.

 **-o0o-**


	10. Chapter 10

Leo was the one who called his name from the counter when Nico's order was ready. Despite the slight strange disappointment, Nico gave Leo a small smile as he grabbed his drink.

He took a sip from the carton cup as he went back to the chair that he was sitting. He checked his phone. The small digital number at the corner of the screen showed that it was barely 5 minutes after 7. He probably should head back to his apartment.

Then he heard an almost melodious laughter that made him lifted his head up, glancing at the counter. A small part of his mind vaguely wondered why that voice was now something almost terrifyingly familiar.

Will was standing behind the counter with Leo. Leo was telling something that made Will laugh, and hit him with the checkered cloth that he was holding. Leo said something else, before walked away and disappeared behind a door.

Nico watched as Will shook his head, an amused smile gracing his lips as he wiped the surface of the counter. Nico was absently thinking about the way Will's hair looked like softly glowing in golden color under the orange light when Will turned his head. Their eyes met, and Nico caught off guard.

Nico's heart skipped a beat.

Will flashed him a small, shy smile, then continued wiping the counter. There was a funny pull in Nico's chest.

He took another sip as he checked his phone again.

Maybe he could stay for just… a little while. Just a couple of minutes.

Besides, maybe today is his lucky day to win that level in Candy Crush.

That couple of minutes turned out to be almost an hour.

It was not like Nico did not want to leave or anything. But every time he thought of leaving, there would be a customer coming in, which meant that Will would greet them. A warm voice that would made Nico turned his head to the counter, as Will talking with the customer with that bright smile. Then suddenly he thought, well… maybe he'd stay for just another 5 minutes.

He lifted his cup to take another sip, then he realized that he almost finished his drink. He absently tapped the cup, thinking maybe it was really the time for him to leave the coffee shop. But maybe… Just maybe he could get another drink? Not coffee. Maybe hot chocolate? Surely they hav-

"Bye, Will!"

Nico's head snapped to the counter, and he saw Leo waved at Will. Will waved back at Leo and pushed the swinging panel that separated the counter from the customer area of the coffee shop.

"Bye, Leo!" Will said. He no longer wore the light blue apron, but there was a green backpack on his shoulder now.

Nico decided that yes, it was really time for him to leave.

Not that it was because Will was about to go. He had been here for longer than he expected anyway, so really, it-

"Hey, Nico!"

"Oh, hey," Nico replied, unconsciously grabbing his cup.

Will smiled. "So, you like it?" He asked, gesturing with his chin to the cup that Nico was holding.

Nico nodded. "Yeah. It's really good."

Will's smile got wider. "I know you're going to like it."

"So… uh… You've finished working?" Nico asked, trying his best to sound as nonchalant as possible.

Will gave him a single nod. "Yeah. My shift today ends at 8."

Nico quickly glanced at his phone that was lying on the table. It's almost ten minutes past 8 now.

"Oh, I am also about to go now," Nico stood up. "Want to walk together?"

Nico blinked when he realized what he just said. He cleared his throat and tried to ignore how the back of his neck was heating up.

"I… I mean," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "We're heading the same way, right? Uhm, neighbors?"

 _How on earth he suddenly became someone who was incompetent in making a sensible sentence?_

A surprised expression flashed on Will's eyes.

"Uh…" he said, looking hesitant. "I.. I mean… I'd love to. But I… I need to go to the library now."

Nico's brows furrowed down. "To the library? At this hour?"

"It's not that late yet," Will said, fiddling with the strap of his backpack. "Besides, it's open until midnight. I still have some time to work on some stuff until they close."

"Oh," Nico said. Strangely his stomach felt a bit heavy. "Uhm. Okay."

"Maybe next time?"

Nico chuckled. "Why are you so sure that I will come here again?"

"Well…" Will said. "You are here now. And I mean… who knows…"

Nico could not decide whether Will was really blushing or it was just the light playing tricks on him. Before he could really think about it, Will cleared his throat.

"So… Uhm… Yeah… I… I guess… I'll see you around."

"Yeah," Nico said, trying to ignore the weird disappointment in his stomach. "I'll see you."

"So," Will ran a hand over his head. "Uh. Bye, Nico."

Nico nodded. "Bye, Will."

Will turned on his heels and made his way to the door. He pushed the door open. But before he walked out, he turned his head to Nico, and smiled at him. Nico didn't even realize that his lips were tugging up to return the smile as he waved at Will, rather awkwardly.

Then Will disappeared.

Nico bowed his head down, staring at the tip of his black combat boots.

He sighed. It was really _really_ time to go now. For real. Nico grabbed his cup, and threw it to the bin as he walked out to the door.

 **-o0o-**

A few hours later, Nico was lying on his bed, his with his phone on his hand. Nico stared at Will's profile picture on Facebook. Wearing an orange shirt, Will was smiling so bright. Orange was not Nico's favorite color but damn, it looked good on Will Solace. And it was almost ridiculous that even through a frozen picture, his smile could still look so warm like that.

Nico chewed his lower lip again, scrolling down the screen. There was not much information about Will that he put up for public. Just that he was a student at University of Delphi _(Nico knew that already. Duh_ ). He is in the pre-med program ( _Nico didn't know that before_ ). He came from a small town in Tennessee ( _Oh, so that's where that slight accent come from_ ). And that's all. There were some pictures of him with some other people. Nico recognized Leo in one of the pictures. From the background, Nico could see that the picture was taken in The Oracle. Besides Will and Leo, there was also another tall guy with black hair and green eyes, who had his arms resting comfortably around the shoulder of a blond girl.

Nico scrolled back up. He and Will only had one mutual friend, Jason.

Nico's eyes darted to the small "Add Friend" icon as he chewed his lower lip.

Then he sighed and shook his head. He tapped the home button that brought him back to some pictures and status updates of his friends.

He tapped his screen again until his wallpaper of his phone's main screen showed up. Nico placed his phone on his nightstand and turned off the light.


	11. Chapter 11

The next day, the only reason that made Nico stand in front of The Oracle again that afternoon was that he needed a cup of coffee. He denied that there was any other reason than that.

He stepped into the coffee shop and walked straight to the counter, and greeted by Leo.

"Hey," the curly-haired barista greeted him with a grin, showing his white teeth. "Nico, right? Will's new neighbor?"

For a split second, Nico's brows shot up. But then he nodded. "Yeah. And you are… Leo?"

The grin on Leo's lips got slightly wider at Nico's acknowledgment. "Yep! That's me. So, what can I get you today?"

"Uh… A medium peppermint mocha, please?"

As Leo punching in his order on the register, Nico stole a glance to the area behind the counter. There was another guy with black hair who was talking quite animatedly with a girl that had some green highlight on her hair. But no blond hair was in sight.

Nico paid for his order then quickly sat in the chair where he sat last night.

He fiddled with his phone as he waited for his order. Every two minutes, he stole another glance at the counter. But still, no Will.

Well, not that Nico was looking for him anyway.

"Medium peppermint mocha!"

Nico stood up and walked to the counter.

"Here you go," Leo said as he placed the cup and pushed it towards Nico.

Nico muttered his thank you as he grabbed his drink, his eyes on the cup.

"Oh, and Nico?"

Nico lifted his head up.

"Just so you know, Will's shift here is on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from 4 to 8," Leo said, and ended it with a wink.

Nico stood still, too stunned to say anything as a response. But it looked like Leo didn't want any response anyway, as he already turned around. He whistled as he walked away from Nico.

It took two full seconds for Nico to gather himself together. He took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. He walked away from the counter with his order in his hand, and stepped out of the coffee shop.

 **-o0o-**

* * *

He still had half of his drink when he stood in front of the library. He was not even sure himself why he ended up here instead of going back to his apartment from The Oracle.

Well, he could check whether any of his professors posted something on The Blackboard by using one of the computers in this library. Or he could review his notes. It was not like he could not do any studying stuff in his apartment. It was just… Oh, yeah. In his apartment, his bed was too much of a distraction. Yep. That's why.

Besides, who knew that maybe-

Nico huffed and shook his head, pushing the thought off his mind. He walked to the door, pulled it open and stepped in.

Nico walked slowly, gazed around at the students who were using the computers. There were some vacant ones, and Nico was thinking that maybe he could go to the quiet study area in the second or third floor when his eyes caught the sight of a tall blonde that was walking towards him.

Nico hated the eyes-meet-across-the-room cliché.

But to be honest, it was what happening to him now.

And to be even more completely honest, it was something that made his heart skipped a beat.

Will's eyebrows raised up in recognition as his lips curled up into a wide smile.

Nico stopped, pretending like he was sipping his drink as Will walked closer towards him.

"Hey, you're here!"

Will's smile was bright and it light up his whole face and Nico just could not help it to smile back at him.

"Uh… Yeah," he said.

"You just got here? From The Oracle?"

Nico arched an eyebrow. "It's not the only coffee shop around campus, Will."

Will laughed lightly, and gestured with his chin to the light-blue cup that Nico was holding.

"Nope, it's not. But it's the only one who had that cup."

Nico could barely hold himself from choking. "Uh. Yeah. You're right."

Will smiled softly at him.

"So… Uh… You.. You also just got here?" Nico asked, desperately trying to find something to say, something that could keep the conversation goes longer.

"Well, actually," Will said, scratching the back of his ear. "I… I just about to go back to the apartment. I think I am done for the day."

"Oh, cool. We can walk together, then!" Nico blurted out.

Will gave him a strange look. "I… thought you just got here?"

 _Well, shit._

"Uh… Yeah… But I…" Nico chewed his lower lip as he could feel his cheek got warmer. "I just remember I… forgot something. My notes," Nico said. He cleared his throat before he continued. "I forgot my notes. And I… I don't think I can do my homework without it."

For a second, Will stared at him, still with that strange look. Like he did not really believe in what Nico said.

But to be fair, maybe he had the right to not believe in Nico. Because it was not like Nico was saying the truth anyway.

First of all, Nico did not plan to do his homework in the library. And The Oracle was almost like, right in the middle between the library and their apartment complex. It was indeed, a bit hard to believe that Nico just made the trip from the Oracle to the library, only to go back to his apartment when he just got there.

But then the soft smile returned to Will's lips as he nodded.

"Yeah," Will said. He ran his fingers through his hair. "Sure. We can walk together."

Nico wished he could have a better control of himself and stopped himself from grinning.

Too late.

Nico was already grinning as he tucked in a flock of his hair behind his ear. But when he noticed the soft pink blush dusting Will's cheeks, Nico didn't really regret it.

"Anyway," Will said as they walked side by side to the door. "I was right, huh?"

Nico's brows furrowed down. Will pushed the door and held it for him as he stepped out from the library. "About what?"

"Well, you know…" Will said as he started walking next to Nico. He glanced down at Nico and there was a small, almost teasing smile playing on his lips. "That there will be a next time. Of walking together."

Nico's heart stopped beating just for a second.

 _Oh._

Nico cleared his throat. "Uh. Yeah."

He stole a glance at Will, and caught the taller guy was staring at him. Will quickly looked away, holding his eyes straight ahead.

Nico's heart fluttered.

"So," he said, playing with the strap of his backpack. "Uh. I met Leo earlier. In The Oracle?"

"Oh, yeah. It's his shift today."

"You… I mean, how long have you worked there?" Nico asked, risking a glance at Will.

Will shrugged his shoulder. "Since last year," he said, and continued talking about how he started working there.

Maybe it was just Nico's imagination. But the street light along the street that they passed seemed to be a bit brighter than usual tonight.

 **-o0o-**

* * *

It was a little bit past 11.30 when Nico noticed a notification icon from Facebook showed up on his screen. Still chewing the last pieces of his Cheetos, Nico unlocked his phone and checked it.

A friend request from Will Solace.

Nico didn't even bother to erase the grin off his face as he tapped the 'confirm' button.


	12. Chapter 12

Will was staring at the boxes of the coffee ground on the kitchen area of the coffee shop when the door swung opened. With a reflex, Will turned his head to the door, where Leo was peeking in his head.

"Hey, Will? Don't worry about doing that. Your shift will end in 5 minutes anyway. I'll do that."

"But I think I-"

"Tsk, tsk," Leo shook his head. "Just go, Will. You've finished your shift anyway. Besides, can't keep your pretty boyfriend waiting for too long, no?"

Will's cheeks blushed as he tried to glare at Leo.

"He's not my boyfriend!"

Leo chuckled. "I didn't even say his name but you already knew whom I was talking about."

Now his whole face was burning.

Will hissed. "Still, Nico is not my boyfriend."

"Okay, _potential_ boyfriend then." Leo said, smirking as he crossed his arms over his chest, and leaned against the door frame.

Will's brows shot up. "Leo!"

"Or you prefer boyfriend-to-be?"

Will rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, Leo," he said as he took off his blue apron. He tossed it into the hamper at the corner, then looked at Leo again. "But, are you sure that you're okay that I go now? I mean, I now that you hate doing the stocking so…"

Leo clicked his tongue. "Will, seriously. You've done all your job and finished your shift. Thank you for your offer, and yes, I do hate that job. But it doesn't mean I won't do it. Besides, it's my job today."

He walked to where Will was standing. He put his hands on Will's shoulders and turned the blond around.

"Now shoo…" he said as he pushed Will's shoulders, half-forcing him to walk to the door. "Don't let your, ah, _boyfriend material_ waits for too long."

"Leo!"

But Leo already pulled the door open with one hand, then quickly pushed Will out.

"Bye, Will!" He said, along with an elvish grin and a wave.

Will turned around on his heels but the door was closed already. Will let out a sigh, then turned his head to where Nico was sitting, the one by the window, closest one to the counter. He had been sitting there for the last two weeks that he came here regularly, Leo once joked that they should put a RESERVED sign on that table.

It was not like Will never considered that idea before, but of course, Leo didn't need to know that.

And of course, Will would deny if anyone ever suspected how he got a bit anxious when a customer chose to sit there.

Nico was fiddling with his phone, his cup of coffee in front of him on the table. But it was like he had a sixth sense or something, he looked up and met Will's eyes. The right corner of his lips curled up into a half-smile. Will's heart fluttered a little. The familiar feeling that he always had whenever he knew that he was the receiving end of that smile.

Will quickly made the short trip from behind the counter to the table. Nico stood up once Will reached the table.

"So, library time now?" Nico asked.

Will gave him a small smile as he nodded. "Yep. Library time," he said.

Somehow, library time had become some sort of their routine for the last two weeks. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Nico would come to The Oracle, about half an hour before Will's shift was over. And once Will finished with his shift, they would walk together to the library, where they would sit in a group study room and spend hours there, working on their stuffs. Will himself had already had the habit of studying in the library since last year. But usually he just studied alone, or sometimes with Mitchell or another friend. But having Nico as a company was…nice. Even though sometimes they were too absorbed in anything that they were doing to talk, still, Will found it was nice. It was a nice feeling that every once in a while, when he lifted his head up from his notes or his textbooks, he would find a familiar face sitting on the chair across of him. So yeah, library time with Nico was a new routine for Will, a new routine that he secretly enjoyed.

"So, how's your project going?" Nico asked as they walked back to their apartment from the library a few hours later.

"Which project?"

"The one that you're working with Mitchell? Something about a health campaign?"

"Oh, yeah, that one!"

That was one thing about Nico. He listened. Like, he really listened to what Will told him. Almost like he took a note of things that Will said. Sometimes Will didn't even realize that he told Nico about something until Nico brought it up.

Will started telling Nico about how far he and Mitchel were progressing on that project as they kept walking on to their apartment complex.

"So yeah, I am just…nervous about the presentation on Wednesday," Will said, as they climbed up the stairs. "I just… What if I forgot everything?"

"Don't worry about it, Will. You can do it."

Will took a deep breath and let it out in a long exhale. "I hope so," he said.

Will stopped in front of his door, while Nico walked to his, only a few steps away from Will's.

He took his keys out of his bag, and inserted it in the lock.

"So," he said, still holding the doorknob as he looked at Nico. Nico was standing with his back against the door frame, hands hidden in the pocket of his jacket. "Good night, Neeks."

Something flickered across Nico's face, but it was gone as fast as it came, Will thought maybe he was just imagining it. Nico stretched his lips into a half-smile.

"Good night, Sunshine."

 **-o0o-**

A thought crossed Will's mind that night, right before he fell asleep.

Nico never called him Sunshine before.

 _Nobody_ ever called him Sunshine before.

 **-o0o-**

Will rushed into his class that Wednesday morning, and quickly took a seat next to Mitchell. Mitchell turned his head to Will.

"Ready for the presentation?"

Will responded with a grin as he raised a thumb up at Mitchell. He busied himself by taking out his notes and the index cards that he has made to help him with the presentation.

"Will?"

"Huh?" Will lifted his head up from the index card and turned his neck to look at Mitchell. His best friend was staring at him with a strange look.

Will blinked.

"What?" He asked.

"What happened?"

Will raised his brows up, half-confused. "What what?"

"You… Look different…" Mitchell said, still eyeing Will carefully, like he was trying to find out what it was that was different about Will.

Will could feel his cheeks started blushing for reasons that Will would never admit in front of anyone.

"Oh," Will said, trying to sound nonchalant. "I am just…you know…" He shrugged his shoulders. "I am just excited about this presentation."

Mitchell arched an eyebrow at him, looking almost impressed. "Really?"

"Yeah," Will said, and quickly looked back to his cards. He could practically feel Mitchell's eyes still lingered at him. But at least he no longer asked questions.

Will continued reading his cards, mouth moving silently as he read his own handwriting there. But then his mind wandered to the text that he received earlier that morning, and his heart fluttered a bit, as the words from the message that Nico sent him resounding in his head.

 _Good luck with the presentation, Will. You can do it, Sunshine._


	13. Chapter 13

**-o0o-**

It's strange how a simple encouraging message could make Will's day brighter. His presentation went well, and somehow everything just felt lighter and looked brighter.

It was a rather slow afternoon in The Oracle, and Will was toying with the idea of getting some of the chocolate cookies to the library tonight. Those cookies were made by Sally, Percy's mom, and Will could have sworn that Sally's cookies were the best on Earth. Despite how good were her cookies, Sally made it without the intention of selling it to have some profits. Sometimes she just felt like she wanted to make some, then Paul would bring it to the coffee shop and put them on the display. People could buy it, but the money that came from those cookies would be saved, and by the end of each month, the money would be donated to a food bank. There were only 4 cookies left on the display now, and Will was about to take two of them when the door swung opened. Will lifted his head up from eyeing the cookies and smile to the people who just walk in.

Well, Will was not expecting it.

First of all, Will did not expect to see that it was Nico who was coming in through that door. Not that he wasn't happy to see Nico. He was always happy to see Nico but it was not something that he would admit even to himself. Let alone to anyone.

He was just not expecting to see Nico to come at this hour, which was much earlier than usual. It was just 6 in the afternoon now. Usually Nico would come at around 7.30, about 30 minutes before Will's shift ended. So yeah, that was unexpected. But _pleasantly_ unexpected.

Another unexpected thing was, to see that Nico was not alone. There was an Asian girl with black hair with him, and she was saying something that made Nico let out a small amused laugh.

That was also unexpected. But an unpleasant one.

Will felt a strange hollowness in his chest, but he tried to smile as he walked to the register.

"Well, hello there!" Will greeted them, trying to sound as cheerful as possible.

"Will! Hi!" Nico greeted him, smiling at Will as he brushed off his hair that was covering his eyes.

For a second, Will almost forgot how to breathe, just because of that smile.

"So," Will said, rubbing his hands over his apron. "What can I get for you today, Neeks?"

"Wait. _What_?" The girl said before Nico could say anything, sounded surprised and amused at the same time. Her eyes darted from Nico to Will and back to Will again. She arched an eyebrow at Nico.

"You never let _me_ call you Neeks," she said, with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Oh, shut up, Drew!" Nico said.

Will was juggling himself between trying to tell his heart to go back beating at a normal pace and watching the faint red color dusting Nico's cheeks, when the name rang a bell.

"Drew?" Will asked, angled his neck a little to look at the girl. "Sorry, but are you, by any chance, is a friend of Mitchell?"

Drew's brows raised up at the mention of Mitchell's name.

"Mitchell? Yeah. We went to the same high school. But he's my senior. You know him?"

Will nodded, but before he said anything more, Nico cut him with a question.

"Wait, is it the same Mitchell that you're doing that project with? The one that you had a presentation about this morning?"

Will looked back at Nico, grinning as he nodded. "Yeah."

"How was the presentation?" Nico asked, tilting his head a bit to the left as he kept his eyes at Will.

"It went well, thanks Neeks."

"Can I ask a question?" Drew's voice making the two of them turned to her. She was raising her index finger. "Why do you guys seem to know a lot about each other?"

"Uhm…" Will scratched the back of his ear, feeling heat creeping up his cheeks.

"We're neighbors," Nico said. "Will's apartment is right across of mine."

"But how come you never told me that-" Drew stopped but her eyes gave Will a quick look over. Will's cheeks were practically burning now.

"Never mind," Drew suddenly said, looking back at Nico with a smile on her face. A smile that looked more like a smirk, like she just figured something out.

"Drew…" Nico said and exhaled a sigh as he ran a hand over his head.

Will cleared his throat again from behind the register. "Anyway, what can I get you?"

Drew quickly waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, I'll let di Angelo pick whatever for me. I believe he knows about this place better than me now," she said, flashing a glance at Nico along with a half-smirk.

"I'll just sit right there to wait for you, okay, _Neeks_?" she said, pointing out to a table with two chairs in the corner. Without waiting for Nico nor Will to respond, Drew turned swiftly on her heels. She made her way to the vacant table, sat there and started fiddling with her phone. Will watched her, in awe but also half-confused with…the things that she just said. Nico cleared his throat, and Will turned his head back to Nico.

"Sorry about her," Nico said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Drew is just… Well… Drew…" He added, offering Will an apologetic smile as he looked up.

Will tugged his lips up into a smile. "Nah… It's fine."

"She is actually a really nice person. Believe me," Nico said.

Will nodded. He remembered what Mitchell said, that it was Drew who helped Nico moved in to Jason's new apartment.

"So, what can I get you?" Will asked, schooling his face into a smile despite a strange heavy feeling in his stomach. "The usual one for you?"

"Yeah. Medium peppermint mocha, please. And a medium flat white for Drew, please."

 _Oh, so Nico also knew what she usually gets_ , Will thought a bit bitterly.

"Okay," Will nodded as he quickly scribbled Nico's orders on the cups. He punched in the orders into the register.

"It would be 7.15, please," Will said.

Nico inserted his card into the card reader.

"Hey, Will?" he said as he pulled out his card after the transaction completed.

"Hmm?"

"Drew and me, we… We have this project with two other students and we're meeting them in the Computer Lab in half an hour."

"Oh?" Will arched an eyebrow at Nico, not really sure why Nico was telling him this.

Nico slid his hands into the pocket of his jacket. "Yeah. And.. Well… I don't know when we will finish…"

"Oh…" Will nodded, starting to get what Nico was trying to say.

Nico shifted his weight to the balls of his feet, and he looked a bit hesitant. "I mean, I… I think it will be… Quite late by the time we finish."

"It's okay," Will said, tugging up his lips into a smile despite the stupid pang of disappointment filling up in his chest. "Good luck with your project, then."

"Thanks," Nico said, flashing him a small smile.

Nico turned around, but he was just one step away from the counter when he looked at Will over his shoulder.

"I'll text you, okay?" Nico said.

"Yeah," Will nodded. "Sure."

Nico made his way to the corner of the coffee shop, where Drew was waiting for him.

 **-o0o-**

It was 10 minutes past eight when Will walked out of the Oracle. Instead of taking the left turn to the library, he turned right, and started walking back to his apartment.

 **-o0o-**


	14. Chapter 14

**-o0o-**

Will threw his backpack to the couch, and walked to the sink. After washing his and in the sink, he opened the refrigerator, and started taking out some things.

When Austin got out from his room, Will was in the middle of cutting green peppers.

"You're early," Austin said.

Will only made some non-committal sound, didn't even bother to spare a glance at Austin. His roommate opened the fridge, and took out an apple.

He leaned against the kitchen island, eating his apple as he watched Will cutting more vegetables with Master Chef worth precision in the counter.

"What are you making?"

"Beef teriyaki stir-fry," Will answered, keeping his eyes on the chopping board.

"Will?"

"Hm?" This time Will glanced to look at Austin over his shoulder.

"Is everything alright?"

It took a beat too long before Will answered him.

"Yeah, everything's good," Will said, gripping the knife a bit tighter than before.

Will turned his head to look at Austin, this time forcing himself to give Austin a smile that he hoped was reassuring enough.

"Why do you ask?" Will asked back. He took out an onion and started mincing it.

"I mean, I know you like cooking. But you usually cook like that if…" Austin's voice trailed off and he stopped mid-sentence.

Will glanced at him again for a second, and continued working with the knife in his hand.

"Never mind," Austin said. He took a small step closer to Will, and clasped his shoulder. "Anyway, if you need anything, lemme know, okay?"

"Okay," Will said. He stopped mincing the onion. He turned to smile at Austin. A small smile, but a sincere one. "Thanks, dude."

"Anytime," Austin said. "I'll cook some rice to go with the beef, okay?"

"That would be great, thanks!"

Austin measured the rice and the water. After put them in the rice cooker and pressed the cook button, he went back to his room, telling Will he was working with his homework for tomorrow.

For the next 30 minutes, Will busied himself cooking. The steady sound of the knife hitting the chopping board was strangely calming. And focusing on cutting the vegetables into pieces with the same size helped Will in stopping the stupid thoughts running in his head.

When he finished, he knocked on Austin's door to tell him that the food was ready.

They sat on the couch, an old episode of How I Meet Your Mother on the TV. They ate together, talking and laughing, and for a while, Will forgot that he was upset for reasons that he found stupid.

Austin said that he would do the dishes. Will took his backpack from the couch and walked in to his room. He let out a long, exasperated sigh as he dropped next to his bed, and climbed on to his bed. Crossing his arms over his forehead, Will stared at the ceiling.

Images of Nico, and Drew, walking into the coffee shop flashed in his mind. He remembered how Nico looked so comfortable talking with Drew, how Nico even remembered how Drew took her coffee.

It made Will felt so stupid.

Their library time had been something that Will had secretly cherished as a part of his life now. The thought of getting to spend a few hours in the library with Nico as a company had been something that made him go through the day with a bit more excitement than usual.

But even though it really meant something for Will, did it also meant something, anything, for Nico?  
Will took a deep breath and exhaled it out in a puff.

He shouldn't have let himself hoping, expecting for something more. He didn't even know whether Nico prefered boys, girls, or both.

Will snorted, blaming himself for being such a naïve idiot. Just a few weeks of studying together in the library, and he already let his hope up? They never even like…hanging out together.

Will leaned up, propping himself on his elbow as he reached out for his backpack. He took out his phone from there and let the backpack slid down back to the floor.

Lying on his back, Will checked his phone, and his heart skipped a beat.

There were two new messages from Nico, sent about half an hour ago.

Will flipped himself to lie on his side now. Propping himself on his elbows, he opened the message.

 _ **[From: Nico]**_  
09.14: _Hey, are you in the library_  
09.14: _?_

Will bit his lower lip as he typed in a reply

 **[To: Nico]**  
09.42: _Nope. I am not_  
09.42: _I didn't go to the library._  
09.42: _I went straight back to the apartment after my shift_

Nico's reply came not long after.

 _ **[From: Nico]**_  
09.44: _Are you okay?_

 **[To: Nico]**  
09.44: _Yeah. Just tired_  
09.46: _Are you there?_  
09.46: _In the library?_

This time, it took a slightly longer time before the reply came

 _ **[From: Nico]**_  
09.52: _I was_  
09.52: _We finished at around 9 and I needed a book from the library_  
09.53: _But I am back in my apartment now_

Will read the messages, and sat up on his bed. It took him a couple of times of writing and deleting words before he sent another message.

 **[To: Nico]**  
09.59: _Can I ask you something?_

 _ **[From: Nico]**_  
10.00: _Yeah_  
10.00: _What is it?_

Will stared at his screen for a while, suddenly thought that what he was about to ask might be something too straightforward. He sighed, and then shook his head as he quickly typed his reply.

 **To: Nico** **  
**10.02: _Never mind_

 _ **[From: Nico]**_  
10.02: _Don't do it._  
10.02: _I hate it when people do that_

Will furrowed his eyebrows when he read Nico's message. But Nico's explanation came a second later

 _ **[From: Nico]**_  
10.02: _I hate it when people say that they want to ask question but then they don't_  
10.03: _It's irritating_

The idea of being someone that Nico found irritating suddenly became something appalling for Will.

 **To: Nico** **  
**10.04: _Sorry :(_

 **[From: Nico]** **  
**10.04: _Will, what is it?_

 **To: Nico**  
10.05: _It's actually nothing important_  
10.06: _I am just wondering why Drew said you didn't let her call you Neeks_

 _ **[From: Nico]**_ **  
**10.08: _No particular reason_

 **To: Nico** **  
**10.08: _You let me call you Neeks_

 _ **[From: Nico]**_ **  
**10.09: _It's different_

Will hated the small fluttering in his chest.

 **To: Nico** **  
**10.09: _What do you mean different_

 _ **[From: Nico]**_  
10.11: _Just different_  
10.11: _Go to sleep, Solace_  
10.11: _You said you're tired_

Will let himself had a small smile, even though there was something that almost felt bittersweet inside his chest.

 **To: Nico** **  
**10.12: _Okay. I am going to bed now_

 _ **[From: Nico]**_  
10.13: _Good night, Sunshine_  
10.13: _Sleep well_

 **To: Nico** **  
**10.14: _You too, Neeks_

 **-o0o-**


	15. Chapter 15

**-o0o-**

The next day, Will had lunch with Mitchell in one of the food courts in the Union. They had an hour before their next class, and agreed to have Mexican food for lunch.

"You know what, Will?" Mitchell started as they walked to a vacant table with their trays of food. "Something unusual happened last night."

"Really?" Will said as he took a seat in a chair. Mitchell sat across of him and hummed as he nodded.

"What is it?" Will asked and took a sip of his coke.

"So, Drew Tanaka messaged me on Facebook last night."

Will almost spurted his drink out, but somehow managed to force him swallowing it. Mitchell looked at him with amusement, but he didn't look too surprised with Will's reaction.

"Sorry," Will said then coughed a little.

Mitchell let out a small chuckle, and there was a small smirk on his lips as he stared at Will, propping his chin on one of his hands.

"Uh," Will said, and started fiddle with his plastic forks. "Is it… the same Drew that you said went to the same high school as you?"

"Yep," Mitchell said, giving him a single nod. "She said she met you yesterday. At The Oracle."

"Yeah," Will said with a low voice, looking down at his food.

"And apparently, you and her have… a mutual friend."

It took just a beat too long for Will before he answered.

"Uhm. Yeah. Apparently, so," Will said, pretending he was too busy with his food.

"Will?"

"Hm?"

"Why you never told me about this… Nico guy?"

Will was almost proud of himself that he managed not to choke on his own food. But judging from the way his cheeks felt warmer than usual, maybe he was not really succeeding in trying not to blush.

"I just…" Will paused, stubbornly keeping his eyes on his fork. He sighed. "I just don't think it's something important," he said, and continued eating.

Mitchell hummed.

"But Will," he said. "We're friends. It means that you can talk to me about everything. Important or no, you can always talk to me about everything."

Will looked up from his plate of food. Mitchell was looking at him, sincerity in his eyes. Will could not help to have a small smile.

"Yeah. Thanks, Mitchell," he said.

Mitchell returned his smile.

"Anyway, so," he said, propping his chin on his hand. "So Nico is actually _that_ guy? How did you find out?"

Will didn't even realize that he was grinning when he started telling Mitchell about it.

 **-o0o-**

It was Friday night. _Friday night_. Yet, Will was in the library again. But he was with Nico, so Will didn't really mind. Besides, he had a mid-term on Monday, and he wanted to make sure that he was ready for that.

When Will was trying to read a line in his textbook, he heard Nico chuckled at something. Will lifted his head up from the textbook, finding Nico grinning at the screen of his laptop.

"What are you laughing at?" He asked curiously.

Nico still had a grin on his face when he turned his laptop so he could see the screen.

"Look at those idiots," he said, pushing his laptop closer to Will. The screen is showing a video on YouTube.

Will clicked the button to replay the video, and watched a parody of a music video. At first, he just chuckled, but after a few seconds into that video, he couldn't help but laugh.

He turned the laptop around and pushed it back to Nico.

"I can't believe you're watching this kind of things," he said.

Nico shrugged as he took his laptop, and Will continued reading his book.

"I have nothing else to do anyway," Nico said.

Will lifted his eyes up, arching an eyebrow as he stared at Nico. But Nico had his eyes on the screen of his laptop.

"You're done?" Will asked.

Nico hummed as he nodded, still keeping his eyes on the screen, his finger clicking the mouse.

"Why are you still here, then?"

This time, Nico peeked at Will over the laptop. There was a strange soft tug on Will's chest, and he quickly looked back at the lines in his book.

"Why are _you_ still here?" Nico asked back.

Will chewed his lower lip before he answered. "I… I still want to review this chapter."

He could hear Nico closing his laptop. The next second, Nico pulled Will's book away from him.

"Hey!" Will protested, lifting his head up.

But Nico shook his head as he closed Will's book. "Nope," he said. "Is it for that quiz on Monday? Because I think you've been studying for that one for hours. You need a rest, Solace."

Will sighed. He rubbed his left eye with the heel of his hand. Nico's probably right.

"Come on," Nico said as he took his laptop off the table to slide it in into his backpack. "It's Friday, and the midterm is on Monday, right? You still have time to prepare. You're pushing yourself too hard Will.",

"I'm not," Will protested weakly.

He tried reaching out for his book back. But Nico was quicker, snatching the book from the table before Will's hand had a hold on it.

"Nope," he said, shaking his head. "Rest. Now. You need it," he said, this time in a stern voice.

Will groaned and buried his face in his folded arms on the table.

"Yeah," he said, and lifted his head up. He yawned, and Nico snorted. "Yeah, I think I need a rest."

"Come on, then," Nico said. "It's almost 11 already."

Will rubbed his hands over his face, then started collecting his stuff.

"Do you know what else that you need?" Nico asked.

Will raised one of his brows at Nico as he slid in his notebook into his backpack.

"What?" he said as he zipped his backpack closed.

Nico grinned at him. "Cookies," he said. "You need cookies."

Will chuckled as he slung his backpack on his right shoulder.

"Yeah," he said, and walked to the door where Nico was waiting. "Cookies sound good. Do you want to stop by in CVS to grab some Oreos?"

Nico snorted as he closed the door behind them.

"No, Will," he said. "I am talking about real cookies."

"Real cookies?"

"Have you ever tried Hestia's Cookies?"

 **-o0o-**


	16. Chapter 16

**-o0o-**

Will had been a student here in the University of Delphi since last year, yet, this was the first time he ate Hestia's Cookies. He felt like he had missed a lot.

"Oh my God, this is so good!" Will said after he took a first bite of the cookie.

In front of him, Nico grinned. He brushed away some hair from his forehead.

"I can't believe you've never been here before," he said, shaking his head with disbelief.

Will shrugged his shoulders. "I've passed this place a couple of times, but I just… Never been inside."

"Why?"

Will took another bite and chewed it as he thought about Nico's question. He swallowed and took a sip of the water from his glass.

"I guess I just never have a reason to come here."

There was a strange glint in Nico's eyes, and a vague smirk on his lips as he stared at Will, his head tilted a bit to the left.

"What's your reason now, then?" He asked.

"You," Will said. It took him only half a second to realize what he just said. "I mean," he paused to clear his throat. "Uhm. You were the one dragging me here, right?"

Nico chuckled and that vague smirk that was there a second ago disappeared, morphed into a small smile with a hint of amusement.

Will looked down, willing his cheeks not to blush. But when he peeked at Nico from under his eyelashes, that small smile was still there. For a split second Will wanted to taste that smiling lips with his own.

Will took another bite of the cookie. "This, is like… the _best_ cookie I've ever had," he said, more because he needed to say something before he did anything stupid.

Nico took a bite of his own cookie. After some munching and swallowing, he hummed.

"Yeah," he said. "It is nice. But to be honest, I've tasted better cookies."

"Do you often go here?" Will said, trying not to wonder whether Nico's lips would taste like the chocolate cookies that he was eating now.

"Sometimes," Nico said, taking another bite. "Drew was the first one who told me about this place."

Hearing that name made Will's stomach lurched down. He took the last bite of the cookie in his hand. Suddenly it didn't taste as good as before.

"What?"

Will's head snapped up at Nico's question. He blinked at Nico, who stared at him with a curious look.

"Huh?" Will said.

"You look… I don't know… Suddenly you look like you just…" Nico moved his hand in a vague gesture. "Like suddenly you remember about a bad memory or something."

Will hated the fact that his face was like giving a live report of what was happening in his mind. He forced himself to smile at Nico.

"Nothing," he said. "I'm just… tired."

Nico arched an eyebrow, like he didn't really believe in Will. Will quickly grabbed his glass and took three big gulps of water from it.

"Hey," he said as he placed the glass back. "She won't get mad at me, right?"

Nico's brows shot up, he looked confused when he asked Will back.

"Mad at you? Who?"

There was a rush of heat at the back of Will's neck when he shrugged his shoulders. Will tried to school his face into a nonchalant expression.

"Drew," he said warily. "She won't… get mad at me, right?"

Nico looked positively more confused now. "Why would she?"

Will ran a finger at the glass nervously. "I mean… She.. She won't get jealous?"

Will cringed at his own words. It already sounded ridiculous in his head. And once he said it out loud, it sounded like the most stupid thing ever.

Nico's jaw dropped down, and the next second, he laughed amusedly. Will could not say anything. He could not think of anything to say when he was too busy cursing himself for being an idiot.

"Will," Nico said, shaking his head. "Why would Drew even jealous?" He asked Will back, staring at Will with wide eyes, looking amused and confused at the same time.

"I.. I mean…" Will let out a huff. "I thought you two are together?"

"Me? And Drew? Are you kidding me?"

"Well," Will folded his arms across his chest. "You two look really close!" He said, trying to defend himself.

"We're best friends!"

"You know how she takes her coffee!"

"Well, _you_ know how I take my coffee!"

"Because I'm-" Will stopped mid-sentence, suddenly very aware of how his heart was thumping.

"I…" Will paused again, then looked away to the window.

For a few seconds, none of them said anything.

It was Nico who broke the silence first.

"Will?"

Will slowly turned his head back to Nico. Nico held his eyes at Will, and there was something in his eyes. Something that Will could not put his finger on to yet. Something he was too afraid to put into words yet.

"Yeah?" Will said.

"Drew and me? We're just friends. Best friends," Nico said. "She's not my girlfriend or anything."

"Oh," Will said. Something strangely warm fluttered in his chest. He cleared his throat.

"Well. Uh… Do… you have any? Girlfriend?"

Will could feel that his face was practically burning now. But whatever. He wanted to know. He needed to know, before he let his hope rise up too high.

The corner of Nico's lips twitched when he shook his head.

"Nope," he said. "And I don't want any."

"Why?" Will asked, trying to ignore the way his heart racing.

"I prefer _boy_ friend," Nico said, folding his arms on the table, and leaning just a bit closer.

"Oh?"

There was a small smirk curled up on Nico's lips, almost a smug one.

Will swallowed. "Do you have any, then? Any boyfriend?"

Nico held his eyes right at Will's and Will was probably stopped breathing when Nico shook his head again.

"Nope," he said, and leaned forward, just a bit more. Will's eyes darted from Nico's eyes to his lips before back to his dark eyes again.

Will chewed his lower lip. "Uhm. I… Me neither," Will said with a lower voice.

"Oh," Nico said. "Interesting," he said. "I thought you would have a few girls, or boys, lining up to be your…significant other."

"I.." Will paused, trying to control himself so he wouldn't end up grabbing Nico's cheeks and crashed their lips together. "I… I am too busy…"

 _I am too busy thinking about you. Too busy daydreaming about you to notice anyone else._

Will swallowed again. "You know… School… and other stuffs…"

Something flicked in Nico's eyes, and for a split second, Will thought that there was a shadow fell on Nico's face. But the shadow was gone as quick as it appeared.

"Okay," Nico said, giving him a single microscopic nod. "Good to know that, though."

Will could not help to wonder which _that_ that Nico was referring to.

Will could not make himself ask which _that_ that Nico was referring to.

 **-o0o-**

An hour later, Will lied on his bed. Crossing his arms over his forehead, he replayed the conversation, over and over again.

He wondered what Nico really meant in the conversation. He wondered what the conversation meant to Nico.

And he couldn't help to wonder, that maybe, just maybe, the conversation could have gone differently, if only he had said what he had really wanted to say.

 **-o0o-**


	17. Chapter 17

**-o0o-**

"Ah, so I was not just dreaming about the smell!"

Nico turned his head to glance at Jason as Jason walked out of his room to the kitchen area. He flashed a smile at Jason.

"Good morning, Jace," he said, and turned back to the baking sheet.

"Good morning, Nico," Jason said, and sat on the stool by the kitchen island. "You're baking cookies?"

"Uh huh," Nico hummed as an answer as he was fanning the cookies with his hand.

"I didn't know you can bake," Jason said.

Nico shrugged his shoulders as he opened one of the cabinets. "I like baking. I just don't do it very often," he said. He took a Ziploc bag from the box in the cabinet and closed it back.

"Really? What's the occasion then?"

"Nothing," Nico said, hoping that Jason did not notice that he answered it just a bit too quick. He picked up a cookie that he thought looked better than the others.

"Just feel like doing it," he added, picking up another three cookies to put inside the Ziploc.

Jason chuckled. "Well, you should feel like doing it more often," he said, and get off the stool.

Nico glanced at the clock. It was almost 8 now.

"Hey, Jace?"

"Hmmm?" Jason glanced at him from where he was standing by the coffee maker.

"Get some cookies if you want to, yeah? And… Don't lock the door, please?" Nico said as he shuffled his way to the door. "I'm just gonna need to go out for a minute."

"Okay!" Jason answered him, but Nico already opened the door, and stepped outside.

With the cookies-filled Ziploc bag in his left hand, Nico knocked at Will's door.

It didn't take long before the door swung opened.

"Nico?"

From the way his green backpack was already slung over his shoulder, it looked like Will was about to leave. His hair looked still a bit damp, and Nico could faintly smell something like citrus. At the back of his mind, Nico started to think about how Will was really like the personification of a fresh summer morning.

"Hey, what's up?

Will's voice jolted Nico back to reality.

Nico cleared his throat. "You're going to class now?"

Will hummed as he fixed the strap of his backpack on his shoulder. "Yeah. Got a class at 8.30. And, well.. You know, that midterm is at 11.30."

"Good luck for the midterm," Nico said. "And well, here," Nico stretches his hand that was holding the Ziploc bag. "I made some cookies," Nico said in one single breath.

Will's brows shot up as his eyes darted to the Ziploc in Nico's hand. "For me?"

Nico nodded. "Remember when I told you I've tasted better cookies than Hestia's cookies? My Mama's recipe makes better cookies than any cookies. Including Hestia's."

Will's eyes moved back to Nico's for a second. Then he bowed his head down just a bit as he took the plastic bag from Nico. But Nico didn't fail to see the blush on his cheeks.

"Thank you," Will said as he lifted his gaze up back at Nico.

"You're welcome," Nico said. He quickly slid his hands into the pocket of his sweatpants, just so he could hold himself from grabbing Will's cheeks and kissed that shy smile that was curling up on those pink lips.

"Good luck with your midterm," Nico said, awkwardly shifting his weight to the ball of his feet. "Who knows, maybe those cookies bring… some luck?"

Will laughed. And it was just so unfair that even his laughter sounded like bright sunshine.

"Yeah, I hope so," Will said, his smile still lingered on his lips.

"So, uh… I'm just… gonna get back to my apartment. Need to get ready," Nico said, running his hand over his head.

"Yeah. I need to get going too," Will said. "Thanks for the cookies," Will added, lifting the bag in his hand a little and beamed at Nico.

"Sure. No problem. I hope you like it," Nico said. He quickly turned around and made the short trip to his own door.

He held the doorknob, but he looked over his shoulder again. Will was still standing in front of the door. He smiled at Nico, and waved a little.

Nico returned his smile and turned his head around. He pulled the door open and stepped in into his apartment. He made his way to his room, but as he passed the kitchen area, Jason, who was sitting on the stool waved at him.

"Hey, Nico! The cookies are from heaven!"

Nico grinned. "Do you like it?"

"This, is one of the best cookies that I have ever had," Jason said, shoving the last piece of cookies into his mouth. "Hey, can I bring some for Piper?" Jason asked.

Nico shrugged his shoulders. "Sure. Take as much as you want," Nico said.

"Cool! Pipes going to love it!" Jason said, hopping off from the stool. He walked to the cabinet while Nico went to his room.

As he was getting ready for the day, he wondered whether Will liked it.

He really hoped Will liked it.

 **-o0o-**

Nico was walking to his next class when his phone went off, signaling an incoming message. Nico fished out his phone from his pocket. A smile crept across his lips when he saw the sender. Nico stopped walking and leaned his side against the wall of the corridor.

 **From: Will**  
11:21: First of all, your cookies are AMAZING  
11:21: Also, I nailed the midterm  
11:22: So I guess your cookies really bring good luck  
11:22: Did you like put a magic spell on it or something  
11: 22: ?

Nico grinned as he typed the reply

 **To: Will**  
11:23: Told you  
11:23: And congrats on the midterm  
11:24: I know you can do it

Will's reply came soon, and Nico raised an eyebrow as he read it

 **From: Will**  
11:24: Thanks again for the cookies  
11:24: By the way, are you busy tonight?  
11:25: I mean, do you have anything that you need to finish by tonight?

Nico's chewed his lower lip, and typed his reply.

 **To: Will**  
11:25: Not really. Why?

 **From Will**  
11:25: Nothing  
11:26: I'll see you at The Oracle later?

 **To: Will**  
11:26: Yeah. Sure.  
11:26: I'll see you then

 **-o0o-**

Nico was typing a comment about how much he missed Cerberus on the photo of the dog that Hazel just posted on Instagram when Will stopped by the table that he was sitting.

"Hey," Will greeted him, beaming a smile.

"Hey," Nico flashed a smile back. He quickly tapped his finger on the screen to post the comment. He slid his phone into his pocket, and grabbed his backpack as he stood up.

"So, library time?" he said.

"Uh," Will said, suddenly looking a bit nervous. "I was actually thinking that maybe… we can take a day off tonight? Just tonight."

Nico raised his brows, half-surprised but not exactly unhappy about it.

"That is, only if you're not… too busy or anything?" Will quickly added.

"No, no," Nico shook his head. "Why?"

"I was thinking… Maybe we can have dinner?"

A thought that a dinner sounded almost like a date made Nico's heart skipped a beat. He quickly pushed the thought away.

"Sure, sounds good to me," Nico said. "What do you have in mind?"

"Do you like Chinese food?"

"Yeah," Nico nodded. "Panda Express?"

Will's eyes were twinkling as he grinned at Nico. "You know what, let's go somewhere that offers better stuff than Panda Express."

 **-o0o-**


	18. Chapter 18

_**Author's Notes:**_  
 _Thank you everyone for the feedbacks and review. I am so happy that you guys like this fic :). Also, I didn't plan to update this soon, but my favorite team just won the Premier League Title for this season (ironically, by the rival team losing to the other team who's literally at the bottom of the league) so I am just so very happy, and I decided to update this fic as some sort of celebration. anyway, I hope you enjoy this :D_

 **-o0o-**

Nico sat on the stool, watching Will who was taking out some stuff from the fridge.

"I didnt know that you can cook," Nico said.

Will turned his head. He flashed a half-smile at Nico as he nudged the fridge's door with his elbow to close it.

"Well," he said, and put some vegetables on the counter. "I didn't know either that you can bake."

Will shrugged his shoulders as he flashed another small smile. He turned around so that his back was facing Nico.

"What are you going to make?" Nico asked, trying to ignore the fact that he was staring at Will's ass who was opening the cabinet door.

"Beef and broccoli," Will said without looking at Nico. "Now if only I can find that… Ah, there it is," Will said, and reached out for something on the top shelf. Will was tall enough that he didn't really have to tiptoe to reach it. But still, his shirt went up as he stretched his arms up, to reach whatever it was that he needed. A strip of skin peeked out, the glorious skin a nice contrast of Will's white shirt that he was wearing.

Nico had to forcefully look away from the sight in front of him before his train of thought went too far. He gazed around the apartment. The floor plan was basically the mirror image of Nico's apartment, with the same basic furniture. But the knick-knack and some small details around the room were what made it different. While it looked a bit more scattered than Nico's, there was just something that made it looked warmer.

The sound of door creaked opened, followed with footsteps coming from one of the bedrooms made Nico turned his head.

"Hey, Nico. How is it going, man?" Austin greeted him as he leaned his shoulder against the wall.

Nico flashed him a smile. "Am alright. How are you?"

"Not so bad," Austin turned his head to Will. "You're cooking?"

"Uh huh," Will said, lifting his head up from the chopping board. "And Nico's joining us for dinner," he said, grinning at Austin.

"Really?" Austin's turned his head back to Nico. "You're staying tonight?"

"Will offered me free dinner, and hey… I am just a college student!" Nico said, shrugging his shoulders.

"It's probably ready in an hour," Will said as he was pouring soy sauce into the bowl of beef strips. "Beef and broccoli, and I am also making eggdrop soup."

"That, sounds amazing," Austin said, then his eyes darted back to Nico. For a split second, something flashed across Austin's face, but a grin quickly took over his face before Nico was really sure about it. "Unfortunately, I think… I'll have to pass tonight," Austin said, angling his neck a little to look at Will.

Will stopped chopping onion, looking at Austin with confusion. "Huh? Why?"

"Well," Austin said, straightened up his back. "I just remember that I need to go to the computer lab. My laptop is not fast enough for me to do my MatLab coding."

"Oh, damn. I'll save some and put it in the fridge," Will said.

"Yeah," Austin said. "But hey, at least you have someone to have dinner with tonight, right Nico?" Austin winked at Nico before he turned around and went back to his room.

Nico felt like he was not supposed to blush at that, but somehow he felt his cheeks were warmer.

Will himself didn't seem to care as he already continued chopping the onion.

"Hey, Neeks? You know what, I was just starting to watch this TV show…" Will said as he put aside the chopped onion, and took a broccoli. Nico quickly forgot about what Austin said and listened to Will talking about the TV show.

About ten minutes later, Will was still trying to convince Nico to also watch Voltron, when Austin walked out of his room, his backpack on his shoulders.

He waved at Nico and Will as he walked past them to the door.

"Bye, Nico. See you later, Will."

"Bye, Austin. Good luck with your codes," Will said, as Nico gave a small wave at Austin.

"Anyway, where was I?" Will asked after Austin left.

"Your theory about Keith and Lance," Nico said.

"Ah, yes… So, in like episode 4 of that season, there was this scene…" Will kept talking while continued working with the ingredients. Nico sat on the stool, watching him fondly as Will talked passionately as he kept on working with the kitchen utensils. There was just something endearing to see Will doing something so…domestic like this.

"And I swear that Keith was only being -" Will's fiery explanation was cut by a chirping sound from his phone that was lying on the kitchen island.  
"Hold on a second," Will said, grabbing his phone. He looked at the screen. "Austin," he said as he slid his finger on the screen. "Probably making sure that I save some food for him."

Nico popped a grape into his mouth, but then he saw Will's brows furrowed down.

"What?" He asked, a bit concerned when he saw Will was slightly frowning. "Is he okay?"

"I don't know," Will said. "I just… don't understand what he said in his text."

"Oh? What did he say?"

Will looked up from his phone for a second. He pushed away a lock of hair from his forehead. "He asked me whether I wanted him to stay somewhere else for the night."

Nico's brows furrowed down in confusion. "Huh? Why?"

"I don't know," Will said, already looking back to his phone as he typed a reply. "Maybe he meant he forgot his key and didn't want to keep me awake waiting for him? I am asking him whether he forgot his key."  
"Probably," Nico said. "If he needs his keys, we can go to the computer lab to give it to him. Or I can stay with you to wait for him?"

"Yeah… We can do that," Will said absently, still having his eyes on the phone. A second later, his phone went off again. Nico watched as Will read the message. Will raised his eyebrows. He shrugged his shoulders as he put his phone back on the kitchen island.

"Never mind. He has his keys with him. So we don't have to worry about it."

"Oh," Nico said, popping in another piece of grape. "Okay. Good, then."

If Nico was being honest, he still didn't understand what Austin meant, and probably Will didn't either. But Will continued talking again, this time gushing about a character named Shiro, and that thought quickly disappeared from Nico's mind.

"This is nice," Nico said two hours later as he rested his back on the couch. On the TV screen was an old episode of Parks and Recreation. He made a deal with Will that he might consider watching Voltron if Will would watch Nico's favorite TV series. So once dinner was ready, they brought the food and placed them on the coffee table, and Nico introduced Will to the city of Pawnee and its absurd citizens. Next to him, Will chuckled. Nico turned his head, finding Will was staring at him with a soft smile on his lips.

"What?" Will asked.

Nico raised his eyebrows. "What what?"

"What is nice?" Will asked again, and Nico really hoped that Will didn't have that soft smile on his lips, that Will's eyes were not that blue, because those things were just too distracting.

"Well, you know…" Nico rested the back of his head against the couch.

 _Being with you was nice. Doing anything with you was nice. Doing nothing with you was nice._

"The dinner," Nico said, bracing himself to glance at Will. At first they sat at the opposite ends of the couch, leaving a respectable distance of personal space between them. But three episodes of Parks and Rec later, between laughing at Tom's sassy dialogues and chuckling at April's sarcastic remarks on practically everything, they were only separated by a throw pillow between them now.

Will chuckled. "Well," he said, stretching his legs to the coffee table. "Good to know you like my cooking."

"Hey, if the whole pre-med school doesn't work out, you can actually start a restaurant. Or a catering service."

Will laughed lightly, but kept his eyes on the screen.

"We should do this again sometimes," Nico said, focusing his eyes on the screen as he tried to ignore how his heartbeat went faster. Will laughed at something that April said, then glanced at Nico.

"Do what?"

"This. You know, dinner, watching TV…" Nico moved his hand in vague circular motions. "Just…you know… relaxing."

Will snorted at that. "Yeah, like we have the time to do some relaxing stuff…"

Something heavy filled in Nico's chest. He let out a sigh as his shoulders slumped down a bit.

"Yeah," he said, staring at Ron Swanson on the screen.

It was quiet for a while except for the dialogues coming from the TV, and Nico started wondering whether he should go now. Not that he wanted to but it was almost 11 now and-

"How about this Friday?"

"Huh?" Nico turned his head to Will again. "This Friday? What's with it?"

"I can cook dinner again and maybe…to make it fair… You make something that we can have as dessert?" Will said.

Nico blinked. "But…you said you don't have time?"

Will slowly turned his head at Nico, his cheeks were faintly tinted with bright colors. And it took a lot from Nico not to grab Will's face and kiss that small shy smile away from his lips.

"Uh… Relaxing once a week won't kill, I guess?" Will said. He sounded hesitant, but there was something similar to unspoken hope in his blue eyes. Will cleared his throat, then continued. "But I mean, if you are busy it's-"

Nico quickly grabbed the throw pillow and used it to hit Will's shoulder. "Hey, _you_ are the one who said you're too busy!"

The color on Will's cheeks was even brighter now. "Well… I mean-"

"I'll make some Panna Cotta then," Nico said, cutting Will mid-sentence.

Will's brows shot up. "What is that?"

Nico grinned. "You'll see on Friday," he said, making a mental note to go to the store tomorrow to grab some gelatin.

Will chuckled. "Will it go well as a dessert for some Mediterranean food?"

"Hmm…" Nico tapped his chin lightly, pretending like he was contemplating an answer. "I guess so?"

"We'll see on Friday, then," Will said, a grin spread across his face.

"Yeah, Friday."

"And since I watch Parks and Rec, I guess it's only fair if we watch Voltron that Friday," Will added. He schooled his face into a serious expression, but the twinkle in his eyes betrayed it.

Nico snorted. "Yeah. Sure."

It's Monday evening, and Friday is only a few days away.

Yet, Nico felt Friday was a bit too far away.

He would wait, though. He'd wait.

 **-o0o-**


	19. Chapter 19

**-o0o-**

"Hey, you got a hair band or something?" Nico asked as he sat down and placed his tray on the table.

Drew made a small humming sound as she placed her tray on the table.

"I have a spare hair tie. Would that work for you?" She said, already reaching out for her backpack and reaching inside it,

"Yeah," Nico said as he brushed away a rebellious strand of hair away from covering his eyes. "I just need something to keep my hair away from my eyes."

"Here," Drew said, holding out an electric blue hair tie to Nico.

"Thanks," Nico said as he took the hair tie. After a haste attempt, he managed to tie some of his hair to a small bun at the back of his head. Some of his hair was still too short to get tied, but still long enough that those rebellious strands of hair still hanging loosely around his face.

In front of him, Drew watched and rolled her eyes. She made a _tsk tsk_ sound and stood up.

"Let me do it for you," she said as she took two small steps to the chair next to Nico and sat there.

Nico sighed, but turned on his chair and let Drew untied the miserable bun.

"Wait, just a second." Drew stood to grab her backpack from across the table. Nico turned his head to look at what she was doing with the backpack when Drew pulled out a small comb from her backpack.

"I thought you offered me to tie my hair, not to do a make-over."

Drew snorted. "This is not even remotely close to a make-over, di Angelo."

Nico rolled his eyes but turned his head again. Drew started combing his hair, carefully untangling his hair.

"I hate it when my hair is at this length," Nico mumbled. "It's still too short to have them all tied up properly, but too long that it keeps on falling in my eyes."

"Then maybe it's time for you to have a haircut, Neeks."

"Don't call me that."

Drew chuckled. "Something reserved for your boyfriend only?"

Nico was happy that it was the back of his head that was facing Drew, because from how warm his cheeks were warm now, he was pretty sure that he was blushing.

"He's not my boyfriend," Nico said, trying to sound nonchalant about it.

Drew hummed as she started fiddling with Nico's hair. "Not yet," she said, tying up Nico's hair.

Nico only made a small snorting sound.

"Anyway," Drew said, as she stood up from the chair. She walked back to the chair across the table and sat there. "I know a good place where you can have a decent haircut."

Nico huffed as he patted the small hair bun that Drew just created. Some strands of hair still hanging loosely but it was much better than when Nico did it himself.

"I don't know," Nico said. He took his plastic fork and took a piece of the chicken from his plate. "I guess I'll just wait until I have the chance to go home."

"Why wait?"

Nico shrugged his shoulders. "I just don't like the idea of strangers touching my head," he said. "So instead of going to a barber shop, I usually have Bianca cut my hair."

Drew stared at him. "Nico. You literally just let me touch your head."

Nico chuckled. "Drew, are we strangers?"

Drew's lips curled up into a small smile. "No, we're not."

 **-o0o-**

Jason watched from the stool as Nico was spreading the red dough on the pan, followed with the white dough over it.

"That looks complicated," Jason said.

"Hm?" Nico said absently, fully concentrating on making sure that the almond layer was evenly spread over the red dough by using a spatula.

"That thing that you're making?" Jason gestured with the small spoon that he was using to eat his yoghurt. "What is it called once again?"

"Neapolitan cookies," Nico said without looking at Jason. "My mama and Bianca used to make this for holidays," Nico said. He took another bowl that held the chocolate dough and started pouring it over the white layer. He quietly smiled at himself at the memory. His mother and sister might no longer live in the same house with him, but memory of his childhood was still something that he would always remember fondly.

"Then why are you making it now? Thanksgiving?"

Nico kept his eyes on the pan, spreading the chocolate layer evenly like what he did before.

"Nothing," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "Just feel like want to make some."

"Like you just want to make cookies last Monday? Or that…thing with gelatin and fruits last Friday?"

Luckily, a knock on the door saved Nico from answering that question.

"I'll get it," Jason said and hopped of from the stool. He walked to the door while Nico put away the spatula into the empty bowl. He folded the remaining edges of the wax paper that he previously put over the pan before spreading out the dough to cover the layers. He was carefully pressing a plastic chopping board over the layers when he heard some footsteps coming closer. Nico lifted his head up as he brushed away his hair from his eyes.

"Hey, Nico!"

"Drew?" Nico raised his eyebrows in surprise as Drew walked to the kitchen counter. "What are you doing here?"

Drew sat on the stool, grinning at Nico. Jason who was following her a few steps behind stopped, looking slightly awkward.

"Well, since you were complaining about needing a haircut but won't bother to go to a barber shop, I decided to give you one." Drew lifted a canvas bag to show it to Nico. "I bring my stuff. You know, scissor, hair trimmer and others."

Nico stared at Drew, half-confused, half-amused.

"Hey, guys?" Jason said sounding a bit hesitant. Drew and Nico turned their heads to look at Jason.

"I'm just… I'm going to my room, yeah?" Jason ended with a small awkward wave. He quickly made his way to his bed, ducking his head down as he passed Nico and Drew.

Nico followed his roommate with his eyes.

"Bye, Jason," Drew said as she waved at Jason. Jason mumbled something that Nico couldn't catch.

"And Jason?"

Jason stopped right in front of his door, hand already holding the door know.

"Uh, yeah?" He asked, turning his head to Drew.

"If you call Piper, tell her I said hi. And please make sure that she will come to the next Dance Marathon Club meeting."

Jason stretched his lips into a smile nodded. "yeah, will do," he said before disappearing into his room.

Drew turned her head again and arched an eyebrow at Nico.

"'What?" She asked.

"You're friends with Piper? The girlfriend of your ex-almost-boyfriend?"

"We're both in the Dance Marathon Club," Drew said. "And yes, we're friends. What's wrong with that? Some high-school history that happened in the past won't change the fact that she's pretty cool." Drew took an orange from the fruit bowl on the kitchen island and peeled it.

"Anyway," she said. "Come on. You're done with… whatever it is that you're doing? Let's do some make-over."

Nico folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the counter.

"How do I know that I can trust you with my hair?"

"Do you trust stranger?" Drew asked him back.

"Well, no," Nico said, shaking his head. "But we're not strangers."

"Exactly," Drew said. "So just trust me, okay?"

Nico chuckled. He straightened up. "Okay. Let me put this in the fridge, and then you can…do whatever you're about to do."

 **-o0o-**

Nico stared at his reflection in the mirror as he angled his neck a bit, so he could see the side of his head. He carefully touched the undercut, keeping his eyes on the mirror while doing so.

"So. Do you like it?"

Nico turned his head to the other side, humming as he watched his own reflection.

"It's…different," he said. "I never had this kind of…thing before," he said, slowly running his fingers over the short hair. He turned his head again so this time he was facing the mirror. Drew gave him the undercut but she left some of Nico's curls on the front to be long enough that it still covered most of his forehead without falling into his eyes.

"The undercut actually showed off your facial features, especially your cheekbones. But with those curls in the front, you can still have that tousled look that you usually have," Drew explained as she raked her fingers through Nico's curls, like she was trying to show Nico how to style it.

"Or, if you want to go to a more formal occasion or you just want to look nice, you can use some gel to go for the slicked-back look. That will work too," Drew said as she started gathering the stuff that she just used to give Nico the haircut.

Nico hummed. He touched the undercut again, absently wondering what Will would think about his new haircut.

"And don't worry. I am pretty sure that your pretty boy would like your new haircut."

Nico froze with his fingers between his curls.

"Did I just say that out loud?" he said, glancing at Drew's reflection.

Drew chuckled and shook her head. "No. But I am a mind reader. That's just how cool I am," she said, smirking as she put her supplies into her canvas bag.

Nico sighed.

"He's not my-"

"I didn't even say any name, Nico. But he is the first one that crossed your mind, right?"

Nico bit his lower, then sighed as he shook his head. He shifted so now he was leaning his back against the door of his closet. In front him, Drew sitting cross-legged now, leaning against Nico's bed.

Nico pulled his knees up and wrapped his arms around them.

"I don't know what to do," Nico said, gazing at the window.

"What do you want to do?" Drew asked him.

Nico snorted at the question. "What I want to do? Lots of things."

"With him, or to him?"

Nico's eyes quickly darted to Drew. "Did you just ask me that?"

"Yes."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Okay. Both."

"Not surprised."

"But that's not the issue here."

"No, it's not," Drew said, checking her perfectly manicured-fingernails. "The issue is how come you know what you want to do but you haven't done it yet?"

Nico stared at Drew. Drew lifted her gaze up from her cherry-colored nails to look at him. She arched an eyebrow at Nico.

"Am I right or am I right?" she asked, quite rhetorically.

"Drew…"

"What holds you back, Nico?"

Nico looked down at the floor. He fiddled with a loose strand of the carpet.

"You're scared of something," Drew said, like she was answering her own question.

Nico sighed. He rubbed his face with both hands, then put his arms around his knees.

"I don't know," he said, and rested his chin on his knees. "Maybe?"

Drew nodded. "What is it that you scared about? Rejection?"

Nico's lips stretched into a thin line as he pondered on Drew's question. Then he shook his head. "Not really," he said. "I can handle rejection."

"So what then? Rejection is the worst case scenario already. And if you can handle it, I know you can deal with anything else."

Nico chewed his lower lip. Will's beaming smile flashed in his mind. Will's soft laughter, his blue eyes that sparkled every time he smiled that got even more dazzling as the smile bloomed into a laughter. Nico thought about the way Will's eyes got softer when he looked at Nico as he was telling Will something. About how Will's cheeks turned into a shade of scarlet when Nico caught Will stealing glances at him. But most of all, Nico thought about how Will has been one of the most genuinely kind and caring people. Will didn't even try to be a nice person. He was just a nice person, without even trying to.

He didn't want to lose that.

"You don't want to lose him, do you?"

Nico lifted his head up to look at Drew, and chuckled lightly. "Did I just say it loud, or you are just being a mind reader again?"

Drew smiled at him knowingly, but said nothing. Nico rested his head against the wall as he stared at the ceiling. For a while, it was silence in the room. Until Drew talked.

"His first boyfriend was Jake Mason."

Nico's head snapped to Drew. He blinked.

"Huh?"

"Will's first boyfriend was Jake Mason. They were dating in high-school for about three months. They broke up, but they remained friends. Will still came to Jake's basketball games, and Jake still congratulated Will on his birthday, leaving comments every once in a while on Will's post on Facebook."

Nico stared at Drew for a second or two, before he finally spoke.

"And why exactly are you telling me this?"

"Nothing," Drew shrugged her shoulders. "But I think the part where they remained friends even after they broke up might tell you that Will is not the kind of person who will leave things… awkward after a relationship."

Nico still held his eyes at Drew. "How do you know about his ex boyfriend?"

"I've told you. I have sources. I know where to find information."

Nico chuckled. He arched an eyebrow as he slightly smiled in amusement at Drew. "I suppose that in this case, your source's name is Mitchell?"

"A good investigator would never reveal who their informants are."

Nico laughed lightly. But then he shook his head and looked up at the ceiling.

"I don't know, Drew," he said, then rested his chin again on his knees. "I just…" he sighed. "I don't know."

Drew moved from where she was sitting to where Nico was. She stretched her legs out and sat next to Nico, resting her back against the wall like him.

"You got it really bad, don't you?"

Nico groaned and slid his face, so now it was his forehead that was on his knees.

"If it makes you feel better, I think he likes you."

Nico's heart fluttered a bit with hope as he turned his head to Drew.

"What makes you think so? A girl's intuition?"

"No. A Drew's intuition. And it's legit, better than just a girl's intuition."

Nico rolled his eyes but could not help to chuckle a bit.

He sighed as he gazed at the window. "I am not good at this, Drew."

"At what?"

"This… this relationship thing?"

"Hey," Drew said. "Nobody is like…born to be instantly good at it. But it doesn't mean you can't learn about it."

Nico angled his neck to look at Drew. "Really?"

Drew hummed as she nodded. "And you know what you have to do so you can learn something?"

"What?"

Drew punched the side of his shoulder lightly. "By start doing something about it."

 **-o0o-**


	20. Chapter 20

_**Author's Notes:**_  
 _LAST CHAPTER! Thank you_ everyone _who has shown your support for this fic :). I do apologize for all the grammatical mistake, spelling errors, plot holes, or anything._

 **-o0o-**

There was not a lot of people when Nico stepped into The Oracle. Will's beaming smile greeted him as Nico walked to the counter.

Once Nico stopped right in front of the counter, Will arched a brow. He tilted his head a bit to the left as he eyed Nico. Nico shifted awkwardly, unconsciously tugged the beanie that he was wearing.

"Is it already that cold out there, Neeks?"

"Huh?" Nico blinked. "A little?"

Will's lips twitched into a smirk as he folded his arms on the counter.

"Really? Is that why you're wearing a beanie today?"

Nico's hand flew to his beanie. "Yes?" He said, cringing at how his voice sounded so unsure. "Besides, the forecast said it's going to snow this evening," Nico added, fixing the gray scarf around his neck. And no, he wasn't lying. The forecast did say they would have their first snow of the year this evening,

A beat of silence passed between them, then Will suddenly leaned forward and grabbed Nico's beanie off his head.

"Hey!" Nico protested and tried to grab his beanie back. But Will already hid it behind his back, and he stared at Nico with a look that made Nico's brain freeze for a moment.

"You had a haircut," Will said with a mix of surprise and amusement in his voice.

"Yeah. Last night." Nico chewed his lower lip and ran a hand over his head. "It's…getting a little bit too long so… yeah. I decided that maybe it's time? To have a haircut?"

Will still stared at Nico and there was a hint of a smile on his lips, so vague that Nico was not sure that Will was smiling. Nico nervously hid his hands into the pocket of his jacket. He shifted his weight to the balls of his feet.

"What do you think?" He asked.

The vague smile got wider and Nico's heart skipped a beat to see the twinkle in Will's eyes.

"It's nice…." Will said. "I like it."

Nico let out a breath that he didn't know he's been holding. It surprised him to realize that this was the first time for him that someone's opinion mattered for him.

"Really?" He asked once again.

Will nodded. "Yeah. You look good," he said. "I mean… It… It looks good on you."

"So, you guys done flirting or any of you still have some lame pick-up lines to say?"

The two of them snapped their head to where the voice came from. Leo was standing by the door that led to the kitchen area of the coffee shop. Next to him, a tall guy with black hair and green eyes were grinning.

"So, is that your boyfriend material, Will? The one that Leo has been telling me about?"

Nico quickly ducked his head down as he felt his face was burning.

"Leo! Percy!" Will hissed as he stormed with wide steps to where the two boys were standing.

Leo and Percy quickly pulled the door and ran away from him, but Nico could still hear their laughter.

 _Boyfriend material_ , Nico thought to himself as an involuntary smile breaking in to his lips.

The sound of the door creaked open made Nico lifted his head up. Will walking out from the kitchen area, his face was blushing furiously.

"I'm sorry for those idiots," Will said and sighed. "I swear that they were just 5 year old trapped in the bodies of college students."

Nico chuckled and he smiled at Will. "Nah. It's fine," he said.

Because really, Nico didn't mind being a boyfriend material for Will.

 **-o0o-**

Will grabbed the side of the counter as he suddenly needed to hold on something to steady himself. It was weird, almost ridiculous how Nico's smile could affect him like this. Like suddenly his heart was replaced with a thousand butterflies that flapped their wings inside his chest like crazy. And that new haircut?

Whoever it was that made Nico have the haircut, Will was grateful for them. Somehow the undercut made Nico's defined cheekbones look even more prominent. And there were still enough curls at the front, which looked so soft and Will started to think about how it would feel to run his fingers through those strands of dark hair.

"Will?"

Will blinked.

"Uh. Okay. Yeah. The usual?" Will asked, feeling rush of heat at the back of his neck.

Nico nodded. He paid for his order and took a seat at his usual table.

Will turned around, about to prepare Nico's order, and bumped to Leo.

"Whoa! Leo! What are you doing there?"

Leo grinned and shoved a cup to Will's hand.

"Medium peppermint mocha, his usual order," Leo said. "And take off your apron."

Will's brows furrowed down. He glanced at the clock on the wall. It's still another 20 minutes before his shift is over. Will looked back at Leo.

"But, Leo-"

"Don't worry, I'm sure Paul won't mind letting you go off earlier tonight."

Will's head jolted to where Percy was standing by the kitchen door. Percy was leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed over his chest. He had a teasing smile on his lips.

"I'd talk to Paul. I can cover for you. It's not a hectic night and I don't have anything else to do for the rest of the night, anyway," Percy said and shrugged his shoulders.

"Are you sure?"

Percy laughed.

"Yes, Will. I'm sure," Percy said, the laugh remained as a teasing smirk on his lips.

"Now come on, Will," Leo said and clasped Will's shoulders. "Just take off that apron, get your stuff, put your coat on and go to wherever it is that you and that pretty boy over there are planning to go," he said as he pushed Will, steering him to the kitchen area.

Will tried to protest but maybe Leo was too strong, or maybe it was him that didn't really want to refuse the possibility of getting off work earlier.

As Leo steered him to walk past the door, he turned his head to the counter. Percy was calling Nico's name and placing his order on the counter. Percy turned his head to Will, and winked at him right before Leo shoved him into the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Will took a deep breath as he took off his apron. As he put it away in the hamper, he wondered how much longer he could deny his own feeling about Nico.

It was terrifying, to have this kind of strong feeling and desire towards someone. And from the way Nico stared at him with that soft look, was it wrong for Will to think, to hope, that Nico felt the same way?

What if it was just Will's imagination? What if it was just Will having an expectation too high, he has misread all the signs that he thought Nico has been giving?

And most of all, what if he said, or do something stupid that would just ruin everything?

Something that started as some small sparks inside of Will has grown into a flame of affection and desire. And it scared Will, that the flame would burn everything down.

 **-o0o-**

Five minutes later, Will was already standing by the table where Nico was sitting.

"Hey," he said, fiddling with the strap of his backpack.

Nico looked up from his phone and smiled brightly at Will. He slid his phone into his pocket.

"Hey," he said. "Percy? Is that his name?" Nico gestured with his chin a little to the counter where Percy was talking to Leo.

"Uh huh. That's him," Will said as he slid down to the chair in front of Nico.

"He told me that you got off earlier tonight." Nico looked at Will, a half-smile gracing his lips. "What's the occasion?"

Will cleared his throat. He flashed a glance to Percy and Leo from the corner of his eyes.

"Uh, nothing," he said, almost cringing at how his voice was a note higher. "Just… Umm… Maybe he's just trying to be nice to me?"

Not the most convincing answer. And from the way Nico's brows shot up, along with an amused smile on his lips, Nico didn't seem to buy that answer.

"Anyway," Will said, quickly standing up. "Maybe we should go now."

"Sure," Nico said as he stood up, fixing the gray scarf around his neck.

"Hey, Will!" Leo called him as they walked away from the table.

"Huh?" Will stopped and turned on his heels.

"Don't forget this," Leo said, throwing Nico's beanie to Will.

Will caught it, and pretended he didn't see the way Leo wiggling his eyebrows.

"Come on," Will said. "Let's get out of here."

Will pushed the door and held it for Nico. The door closed back behind them, and they were about to walk when Will felt something wet fell on his face.

He stopped, and looked up. White snow flurries were falling from the night sky.

"It's snowing," Nico said softly.

"Well," Will said, tugging his lips into a smile. "Good thing you have this, huh?" Will lifted his hand that was holding Nico's beanie.

"Come here," Will said, slightly tugging the hem of Nico's black jacket. Nico made a 90-degree turn on his heels so now he was facing Will.

Will put the beanie on Nico's head, gently tugging it at the sides to fix its position on Nico's head. Nico's rebellious hair still sticking up at the front, the dark curls become a contrast over the gray beanie.

"There," Will said, sliding his hands into the pocket of his coat. "Don't want you to catch a cold, huh?"

Nico smiled at him in a way that made Will wanted to freeze the whole moment so he could keep it forever.

"How about you, Will? You don't want to catch a cold, do you?"

Will laughed lightly. "Naaahhh… I am good," he said. But Nico tugged the sleeve of his coat.

"Hey," Nico said as Will eyed him with a brow arched up. "Take this," he said as take off the gray scarf that was hanging around his neck. Before Will could say anything, Nico already tiptoed so he could put the scarf around Will's neck.

Will forgot how to breathe.

Nico took a small step backward and his cheeks were blushing and Will swore that if someone told him that Nico was an angel, he would believe it wholeheartedly without even thinking about it.

"There," Nico said. Will's throat suddenly felt dry but somehow he managed to whisper a quiet thank you. The familiar scent of cinnamon that he usually only vaguely smelt from Nico now become more prominent with Nico's scarf around his neck.

"Come on," Nico said. "We better go now."

Will nodded and started walking the pavement that was starting to be covered with a sheer layer of white snow.

They were only a few feet away from The Oracle when Will felt Nico's hand sneaking in to hold his. Without even thinking, Will shifted his hand, letting Nico's fingers slide in between his. Nico squeezed his hand lightly, and Will's heart stopped beating for a second. He stole a glance at Nico while keep on walking side by side, hand in hand. Nico kept his eyes straightforward, but Will could still see the slight curve of Nico's lips, painting a smile.

Will's chest constricted and despite the snow that kept falling down from the dark sky, Will felt so warm inside.

They were halfway to their apartment complex when Nico tugged Will's hand that he was holding. The two of them stopped on the quiet pavement, right under a street lamp.

"Just wait a second, I just want to finish my coffee," Nico said as he pulled his hand away from Will. He brought the carton cup to his lips, and finished the remaining drink in it in a few gulps. Nico then threw the cup to the trash bin near them.

This time, Will was quicker. He was the one grabbing Nico's hand. Will could barely hear a small gasp that escaped Nico's mouth. Nico looked up. His cheeks were rosy red and there was a small stain from his drink on the top of his lips.

Still holding Nico's hand, Will used his free hand to gently brush the stain away. His eyes never left Nico's as his finger touched Nico's skin, his heart beating like crazy as he rubbed it, trying to get rid of the dark stain.

Once the stain was gone, Will pulled his hand away, but didn't let go of Nico's hand that he was holding with his left hand.

Nico licked his lower lip but his eyes were still locked at Will's. Soft snow flurries kept on falling from the sky. Some snowflakes fall on Nico's curls, quickly melted away. And under the yellowish light from the lamp, Nico looked so beautiful. Dark curls sticking out from his gray beanie, his dark eyes that were staring at Will from beneath the long and thick eyelashes, the defined cheekbones and the dark pink lips.

"I'm scared," Will whispered.

Nico angled his neck just a bit. "Scared?" He asked. "Of what?"

"Of myself," Will said. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. When he opened his eyes back, Nico still stared at him and Will fell just a little bit deeper into those eyes.

"Why?"

Will bit his lower lip before he answered. "Because I really, really, want to kiss you right now. And it makes me scared. Me wanting to kiss you."

Will's chest was moving up and down quickly as his breathing got more shallow. Nico lifted his free hand up and carefully cupped Will's cheek with it.

"Why it scared you?"

Will swallowed and he had no idea why he still had the self-control that was holding himself back from kissing Nico.

"What if I ruin everything by kissing you?" Will said, his voice low and slightly trembling.

Nico was smiling now, a curve of pink lips over his olive skin, slightly glowing under the street lamp. "I think that it's me that you should be scared of, Will," Nico said, gently stroking Will's cheekbone with his thumb.

"Why?"

"Because I want you to kiss me so badly, if you're not going to do it now, I might have to punch you."

Will snorted lightly. "Please don't."

"To be honest, I don't want to. You're too pretty to be punched."

Will didn't know whether it was him or it was Nico that was leaning closer or probably both of them. Not that it mattered, though. Not when Nico's face was so close. Not when something inside of Will was about to explode.

"So maybe I should just kiss you?" Will whispered, his heart was hammering in his chest.

"Just kiss me now, Will."

Will's brain automatically stopped working. He let go of Nico's hand so he could cradle Nico's face with both hands as he slowly pressed his lips to Nico's. Nico's hand that was on his cheek slid down to his neck as Nico was kissing him back.

Will could taste the trace of peppermint and dark chocolate left by Nico's drink as his lips gently slid along Nico's lips. Nico's lips were warm and the warmth quickly spread inside of Will, like electric sparks inside his vein. Will moved his lips, tracing and mapping Nico's lips with his own. Nico let out a content sigh which was the borderline of a moan. His lips moved along with Will's, slotting their lips together as his other hand flew to the side of Will's head, raking his fingers through Will's locks of hair.

The snow kept on falling, and they kept on kissing under the street lamp.

The snow kept on falling, and they let all the words that have been waiting to be said spoken through their kisses.

After the need of fresh air had become unbearable, Will pulled away, just a bit, and rested his forehead against Nico. He held Nico's waist and didn't even bother to erase the grin off his face as Nico wrapped his arms around Will's neck.

Will was half-panting and he felt a bit giddy inside. His face was starting to hurt from grinning but Nico was grinning too and Will just felt ridiculously so very happy, like everything became lighter and brighter.

"So," Will nuzzled the tip of his nose against Nico's nose. "Did I ruin anything?"

"No," Nico shook his head. He planted a quick chaste kiss on Will's jaw. "You just make things much, much better."

Will stroked Nico's sides gently. "So, what are we now? Boyfriends?"

Nico chuckled lightly and rested the side of his face against Will's chest. "Whatever you want to call us. As long as it means we're together. As long as it means that I'm with you, and you're with me."

Will had always thought that he had a good life. And he liked his life. But with Nico, he liked his life even better.

 **-o0o-**


End file.
